


A Very Interesting Week

by pretzelmintz



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: ???? Kinda, ADD character, Alternate Universe - Hope's Peak Academy (Dangan Ronpa), Alternate Universe - Non-Despair (Dangan Ronpa), Angst, Explicit Language, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Happy Ending, Kirumi baby im sorry, Light Angst, M/M, Might be a bit ooc, Mutual Pining, No Smut, Pining, THIS IS A HAPPY FIC, angst is to come later, i promise this is not a sad fic, me out here showing love to mY GIRLS, miu and kokichi's relationship is... interesting, nobody here is straight, slowburn, these tags are depressing holy shit
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-17
Updated: 2018-04-29
Packaged: 2019-03-05 16:34:03
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 19,419
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13391820
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pretzelmintz/pseuds/pretzelmintz
Summary: “An idea?” asked Kaito. “For what?”Kaede smiled.“Wellll,” she began. “For one whole week, all of us will be in the area, right?”Everyone nodded and Kaede continued.“My parents are gone for that whole week, so I’ll be alone during that time. I was thinking that you could all stay over at my house during that week!”-To kick off summer vacation, Kaede invites her dormmates over to her house for an entire week!There's not way things could go badly, right?After all, an entire week with her crush- I mean, her friends- could never go wrong![22/10/18: DISCONTINUED]





	1. The Idea and Day 1: An Interesting Proposition by the Ultimate Pianist

**Author's Note:**

> everyone: juju update ur goddamn chatfic
> 
> me, starting an entire new fic: fuck yu
> 
> Hewwo!!  
> welcome to my new fic!  
> before we start, this fic isnt connected to my chatfic (certain events dont line up)  
> this was basically an excuse for me to write some more pining kaede/kirumi ekekkeke
> 
> i put it in the tags, but just to be safe:
> 
> TW: REFERENCED ABUSE  
> (its not that big in this chapter, but it will be in future chapters)
> 
> one chapter per day, 7 in total!!!
> 
> ALSO ALSO
> 
> I know absolutely fucking NOTHING about japan so expect a massive case on Japanifornia ( more like japanicanada i dont even live in america)
> 
> enjoy! please like and comment!!

“I thought this day would never come.”

 

Sixteen students of Hope’s Peak stood in their dorm, luggage in hand. Their first year at the academy had ended, and summer vacation was to begin.

“Finally, we won’t have to see each other again.”

“A whole two months without having to lay my eyes on Kokichi!”

“Hey! That hurts my feelings, Kaito!”

“May Atua grant you a peaceful vacation!”

“Maybe I’ll finally have some quiet…”

“I won’t have to deal with Miu for a while!”

“Hey! You fucking take that back Maki!”

“Everyone, please do not fight, Gonta want everybody to be happy…”

“I agree!”

“Things just never change, do they?”

They started arguing, yelling remarks about how annoying the other student was. And yet…

 

No matter how much these students argued, they would miss each other.

 

Kirumi, as usual, was relatively quiet. She merely observed the others as they yelled. However, on the inside, she was panicking.

 

The other’s didn’t know this, but she had nowhere to go.

 

Her mother was visiting relatives in Europe, and would be back in a week. Until then, she had no place to stay.

The only other option was her father’s house, but…

Kirumi flinched. She would never go back there.

Besides, it’s not like he would even let her stay over.

As Kirumi went through her options, the conversation had gone from yelling to discussing everyone’s plans over the summer.

“Ah yes! Kiyo, Gonta, Ryoma and I are going to my island!” said Angie in her usual cheerful manner.

Kiyo nodded. “I’m quite interested in their culture. It would be a great source of research.”

“Angie says there are many bugs on her island!” yelled Gonta. “Gonta will befriend them!”

“I just felt like tagging along.” deadpanned Ryoma.

“We leave in about two weeks! Until then, none of us have plans!” said Angie, smiling.

Keebo spoke up. “I’m going to see my creator again!”

“What about you, Shuichi? What are your plans?” asked Tsumugi.

Shuichi flinched as he realized all eyes were on him.

“Oh, I’m uh, going to see my uncle.”

Kokichi grinned. “I’m gonna stay with him!”

“The whole summer?”

Kaito gave Shuichi a look, as if to say, _god have mercy on your soul._

From that point the others shared their plans, but Kirumi had begun staring of into space. She stared at the floor until a voice cut through the mist.

“Kirumi? What are your plans?”

 _Great._ She thought. _Now it’s my turn in the spotlight._

She straightened her back and cleared her throught. What was she supposed to say?

“I-“

She didn’t get to finish before Kokichi cut through her words.

“She’s prolly gonna do maid stuff. She can never catch a break, yknow?”

That must’ve been the first time Kirumi had ever been grateful for Kokichi’s loud mouth.

 

“Well, uh, the busses will be here soon. We should wait outside.” noted Rantaro.

The group made their way outside and to the edge of the school, to the bus stops. They had to wait for their assigned bus.

A few students were already waiting there, saying their goodbyes.

Sonia was headed back to her kingdom, leaving her girlfriend Chiaki behind. Chiaki offered her a hug, but due to their difference in height, Chiaki was lifted off the ground by Sonia’s surprising strength.

Peko sat next to Fuyuhiko on a bench. The smaller student’s head was swung to the side, but Kirumi noticed his sad eyes were actually looking at Kazuichi.

Mikan lives near the school with her kind aunt, so she was preparing to walk home. In an instant, Peko stood up and offered to accompany her home. Fuyuhiko stayed behind.

Many more students were saying goodbye. Sayaka gave Makoto a hug, Akane and Nekomaru fist bumped hard enough to shake the ground, Mahiru and Ibuki were chatting rather loudly, Togami nodded to Celestia…

The newly arrived students mingled with those who were already waiting. A few minutes passed, and the Harmony Dormed gathered again by the bus sign.

Kirumi noted that Kaede had been oddly quiet for a while. The usually loud and outgoing girl seemed to be lost in thought.

“Where is that goddamn bus!?” yelled Miu aggressively. Kokichi turned his attention to her with a gaze full of malice.

“Oh? I thought you’d like being teased with waiting, you filthy bitch.”

Miu yelped, but she seemed to have enjoyed being yelled at. Maki rolled her eyes.

The students went silent again, growing impatient.

All of a sudden, Kaede finally spoke. “I have an idea!”

Her sudden yelling scared Himiko, which caused Tenko to go into a fighting position of reflex. She relaxed when she realized there was no danger.

“An idea?” asked Kaito. “For what?”

Kaede smiled.

“Wellll,” she began. “For one whole week, all of us will be in the area, right?”

Everyone nodded and Kaede continued.

“My parents are gone for that whole week, so I’ll be alone during that time. I was thinking that you could all stay over at my house during that week!”

Tsumugi reared back. “What?! Sixteen of us in one house for a whole week?!”

“Oh, my house is really big!”

Ryoma looked up. “Oh yeah, didn’t you say your parents are rich?”

Kaede nodded.

“Well, all of us are free, but…” Kaito looked unsure.

The others exchanged looks of uncertainty. Kaede’s smile seemed to drop.

“No, I think that is a great idea.”

 

Everyone looked over at Kirumi as she spoke up.

“Really? A whole week in one house with these guys-” she was talking about everyone but her eyes were staring straight at Kokichi, “-would be pretty hectic.” commented Maki.

Kirumi frowned. “It would be hectic, but how is it any different than living in the dorm together? I think this would be a great chance to get together before we go our separate ways for the summer.”

“Nyeh, she’s right.” Himiko agreed. This prompted Tenko to perk up.

“If Himiko thinks it’s a good idea, then so do I!”

“Atua says this will be fun!”

“Gonta agrees!”

One by one, the students began agreeing, all while looking excited at the idea.

Kaede’s pretty smile returned, and she looked at Kirumi.

_Thanks!_

Kirumi felt her face turn red. _Please don’t let her notice, please don’t let her notice…_

The pianist turned her attention towards the others.

“Alright! Since everyone agrees, it’s settled!”

Everyone cheered.

“Tomorrow, everyone can come to my house and we’ll set things up from there.” she beamed. “This is gonna be so much fun!”

At that moment, the bus drove into view.

“Fucking FINALLY! It came!”

Kokichi looked like he was about to make a dirty joke, but one look of death from Maki and his mouth was shut tight.

 

Kirumi had no place to stay for the night, so she rented a room in a less than average motel. As she settled into the room, her formal maid attitude dissipated and, changing out of her usual attire, put on a tank top and some sweatpants.

Letting out a loud sigh, she plopped herself onto the bed, which squeaked in protest. Kirumi prayed the whole thing didn’t come undone while she slept.

She took out her phone and went to text her mother. However, she noticed she had already received a message from her.

 

_Hey sweetie! Grandma, Grandpa and I are going out for dinner, so my phone will be off. Have you found a place to stay? I promise, when I come back, we’re gonna have fun! Love you! xoxo_

Kirumi smiled, yet she couldn’t help but feel a twinge of sadness. Her family was out having fun without her.

_Wait, why am I sad? I get to spend time with Kaede all week!_

The very idea of a whole week spent with the beautiful Ultimate Pianist made her feel warm and fuzzy.

_Of course, the others will be there too…_

At that very moment, her phone pinged. Kirumi looked at the screen, thinking it was a message from her mother. However, the username read “ultimatePENIS”. _Kaede._ She had messaged the group chat.

 

-9:37pm-

 

 **ultimatePENIS** : hey guys!!! we need to discuss the plan this week! like, what you need to bring

 

 **omaGOD** : oofofoofff take it away kaegay

 

 **peel the avocado** : HGFDERTYUIKDEJDSEUIJDSERTYUI

 

 **minions are beautiful** : wow

 

 **shirogaNYA** : bet u regret this huh kaede

 

 **god is dead and we killed him** : >:3

 

 **ultimatePENIS** : whatevs

 

 **ultimatePENIS** : suh uhhhhh

 

 **ultimatePENIS** : bring a pillow, toothbrush, blanket, swimsuit, and anything else you might need

 

 **xxxTIDDIESxxx** : can I bring a dildo???

 

 **say_goodbye_to_your_kneecaps_asshole** : what the FUCK

 

 **ultimatePENIS** : plz don’t

 

 **omaGOD** : yeah kaede already has one at home

 

 **say_goodbye_to_your_kneecaps_asshole** : WHAT THE F U C K

 

 **ultimatePENIS** : NOT TRUEEE

 

keebo22: I cant deal with this

 

 **mothergoose** : stop that

 

 **catch these lesbian hands** : M O T H E R  H A S  S P O K E N

 

 **S P AC E J A M** : conform to her orders or suffer through death

 

 **Hermione GAYnger** : id pay to see kirumi kill kokichi

 

 **delete your account** : same

 

 **shirogaNYA** : can I bring movies??

 

 **ultimatePENIS** : YEH MAN

 

 **ultimatePENIS** : also snacks,, games,, whatever

 

 **xxxTIDDIESxxx** : eyy

 

 **ultimatePENIS** : NOT A DILDO

 

 **ultimatePENIS** : anyway uh yall know where I live??

 

 **shylock homos** : yeah you gave all of us your address

 

 **shylock homos** : also what about sleeping arrangements?

 

 **ultimatePENIS** : well decide those when we’re at my house!!

 

 **minions are beautiful** : wait a min

 

 **minions are beautiful** : why swimsuits

 

 **ultimatePENIS** : theres a pool

 

 **omaGOD** : OH FUCC

 

 **S P AC E J A M** : ??? goddamn you are rich

 

 **they-followin-me-ma** : gonta is excited!!

 

 **omaGOD** : im sure gonta could drink that pool

 

 **delete your account** : what

 

 **omaGOD** : schlorp

 

 **ultimatePENIS** : anYWAY

 

 **ultimatePENIS** : see yall tomorrow!! :D

 

-

 

Kirumi closed her phone and put it on the bedside table. As soon as she did, however, the phone pinged again.

_I really need to put that group chat on silent-_

She then realized that the message hadn’t come from the group chat.

It had come from Kaede.

 

_I’m excited to see you tomorrow! Thanks for backing me up earlier btw. You’re awesome!_

 

Kirumi’s heart nearly burst out of her chest. She responded quickly.

 

_No problem, see you tomorrow!_

She closed her phone and put it on the bedside table, and this time, it didn’t ping again.

 

 

When Kaede said her house was big, she really meant it.

Kokichi and Shuichi stood in front of her house in awe, unable to process its size.

“Well, you know what they say, Shu.” said Kokichi, a sly grin on his face.

“What?”

“Bigger is better.”

Shuichi groaned as Kokichi snickered. The detective stepped forward to ring the doorbell. A moment later, the door opened and revealed a smiling Kaede.

“You guys came!”

“Of course we did! Why wouldn’t we?” asked Shuichi as they stepped into the house.

Kaede’s living room was also big. There was a long sofa pushed to the corner of the wall that rounded the corner. It could probably fit a lot of people.

There was a soft carpet stretched over the floor, a TV, a fireplace and a see-through table in the middle. The windows were opened, allowing the sun to shine through the room.

Shuichi realized they weren’t alone, as many people were already sitting on the couch.

“Whoops! Didn’t realize how late we were.” confessed the Supreme Leader.

“Hope we didn’t keep you waiting.” said Shuichi. At that moment, a loud voice erupted into the air.

“Late because they were too busy fuckin’!”

Kokichi’s gaze darkened as he turned to the source of the noise who was, unsurprisingly, Miu.

“Shut the fuck up, you filthy bitch.”

Miu screeched.

Kaede chose to ignore them. Her eyes scanned the guests sitting in the living room. She frowned.

“Looks like we’re missing one person.” she commented under her breath, just loud enough for Shuichi to hear it.

“Kirumi, right?”

Kaede jumped, not having realized Shuichi was looking at her.

“U-uh, yeah…”

Shuichi smirked at her response.

 

Kirumi arrived only five minutes later, somehow still looking formal even in casual clothing. Kaede seemed happier than she was before Kirumi arrived.

Shuichi and Kokichi exchanged a look.

_This would be a very interesting week._

Moments later, they were all seated in the living room. Not everyone managed to fit on the sofa though: Gonta took up quite a lot of space, so Kirumi stood against the wall.

“Alright everyone!” yelled Kaede quite suddenly, once again scaring Himiko.

The group fell silent, and all attention turned towards the pianist.

“We need to talk about sleeping arrangements!”

Tenko narrowed her eyes. “I am not sleeping in the same room as those degenerate males.” she growled. “A male and a female sleeping together would be awful!”

Rantaro spoke up. “Most of us are gay, Tenko.”

“Oh, right.”

Kaede laughed. “Well, even with that, the girls will be sleeping in a separate room!”

None of the boys protested.

“Great, now I won’t have to sleep anywhere near Miu.” whispered Kokichi to his boyfriend.

Angie raised her hand, then immediately lowered it again after remembering they weren’t in class anymore. Himiko giggled.

“Will two people have to share a mattress?”

Kaede looked down. “Well… yes, some may have to share a mattress because there aren’t enough single sized mattresses for everyone.”

Miu flinched. “W-what?!”

“Oh come on, why must you make everything dirty?” yelled Kaede, causing Miu to immediately go silent.

“Anyway, it doesn’t matter who sleeps on a double matress, as long as both people are comfortable with it. Also, Gonta gets a large mattress to himself.”

Nobody argued.

 

 

The girls set up their mattresses in a big room with a big piano. From there, sleeping arrangements were made.

“I can share a mattress with Himiko!” yelled Tenko. Himiko didn’t protest, but Kaede saw her blush.

Kaede smiled. “Okay, there’s one more twin size, anyone wanna volunteer?”

“I will take it!”

“Why the fuck not, I guess.”

Two voices spoke at once: Angie and Miu. Angie’s grin stretched across her face. “It is settled then!”

Strangely enough, Miu didn’t protest, or make any sexual jokes, but her face turned bright red.

“O-okay.”

“Alright! The rest of you can just choose any mattress.”  
Kaede, of course, chose the mattress closest to the piano. She’d been playing that piano ever since she was young, and it held a special place in her heart. Sleeping near it made her feel safe.

Kaede then noticed that Kirumi had chosen the mattress closest to her.

_Definitely not on purpose._

Kaede sighed. She didn’t wanna admit that another reason she had invited everyone here was to have an excuse for Kirumi to come over without casting any suspicion.

Her mind wandered off for a bit until a loud voice pierced through.

“Uh- guys?”

That was Ryoma’s voice, coming from the next room over, where the boys were to sleep.

Kaede could also hear Kokichi laughing.  
“What’s up?” answered Kaede.

Kokichi spoke next, laughing between words.

“Keebo is too heavy for the mattress! He broke it!”

 

The whole “Keebo mattress” thing took a bit to solve, but in the end, he opted to sleep on a non-inflatable mattress instead. Once everything had settled, it was already 3pm.

“What should we do now?” asked Rantaro. “We didn’t really plan this…”

Kaede, of course, was one step ahead of everyone.

“We’re going to town! It’s only a five-minute walk.”

Himiko yawned. “Five minutes…?”

“What will we do once we’re there?” questioned Tsumugi.

Kaede explained.

They would go their separate ways once in town and go wandering around the mall. At 5:30pm, they would meet at the snack bar for dinner.

Without any more waiting, the sixteen students got ready and left the house.

 

 

Kirumi had been to this mall many times before, so it was nothing new. Almost as soon as they got there, the group split up.

Tenko, of course, followed Himiko to the pet store. Gonta ran after them.

Ryoma was headed to the sport’s store, as expected, while Kiyo was off to Barnes and Nobles.

Rantaro said he was going clothes shopping, which wasn’t surprising.

Angie was making a beeline for the Micheals and, oddly enough, Miu followed her. Even more strangely, Angie didn’t protest.

Keebo, Tsumugi, Maki and Kaito said they were merely going to wander around.

Once they had left, only Kaede, Shuichi, Kokichi and Kirumi had stayed behind.

“Let’s go, Shuichi!”

“What?”

Kokichi grabbed the detective by the arm and dragged him off. Kaede and Kirumi were left standing next to each other.

“H-hey, Kirumi, I need to get something at the Dollar Store, could you come with me?”

“Of course, Kaede.”

The two girls then headed off.

 

“What is it you need?” asked Kirumi as they made it to the store. Bunches of cheep balloons had floated up to the ceiling, and there was candy on every shelf. “I can go get it for you.”

Kaede frowned. “You don’t need to act like a maid with m- with us.”

“My apologies.”

“You don’t have to be so formal!”

“Oh, uh, sorry.”

Kaede giggled, causing Kirumi to blush again. _Please don’t notice._

Kirumi was already lucky enough to have Kaede not notice her choose the mattress closest to her. She prayed her luck would not run out.

_Lord Nagito, give me strength-_

“Anyways, follow me!”

Kaede bolted through the store, the maid not far behind. They stopped in the toy section.

“What do you need here?”

Kaede winked and walked through the aisle, halting a few steps later. She picked up a toy water gun.

“We’re gonna need some of these.”

Kirumi smirked.

The two girls picked up four water guns and lots of water balloons, the kind where you can fill many of them at once.

“Don’t tell anyone, okay?” said Kaede.

“Promise.”

Kaede held out her pinky, and Kirumi held out hers. They shook on it.

_God that was the cutest thing-_

After paying, they wandered some more around the mall until Kaede checked her phone.

“We should head to the restaurant! Thanks for the help!”

“N-no problem.”

Kaede smiled again, setting Kirumi’s heart on fire, before the two made their way to the snack bar.

 

The gang sat on the big sofa, snacks in hand, laughing and having a great time. Ryoma was telling a story about a game of tennis he’d played against a really clumsy opponent. Kokichi was having a stroke, gasping between laughs.

“Really? He smashed his face into the net?!”

Ryoma nodded. He didn’t think it was that funny, but the smile on his face indicated he enjoyed making the others laugh.

Angie spoke next. “You would not believe the weird commissions I have received in the past! Atua was not proud.”

Kokichi stopped laughing and turned to Kiyo. “Yeah, remember that minion statue?”

Kiyo kept his calm demeanor, but Kirumi could see the fiery rage in his eyes. He hated minions.

“Thank goodness I don’t have to see Hifumi for two months.” he said in a dangerously quiet voice.

“Fuck yeah!” Miu agreed.

“Oh, but it gets worse.” said Angie in a low voice. “Someone commissioned a minion body pillow design.”

Kokichi spat out his drink and started laughing again. Kiyo looked like he was about to have an aneurysm. Meanwhile, the others began yelling out remarks.

“The fuck? That’s some good taste!”

“No, it’s not!”

“Gonta doesn’t understand…”

“Some people are weird…”

“Pics or it didn’t happen!”

Angie smirked and took out her phone. After a few minutes of scrolling, she showed the screen to the others.

Tenko immediately covered Himiko’s eyes, as well as Gonta’s. Keebo made a distressed noise. Kiyo swore under his breath.

Kokichi began laughing even louder, even snorting.

Kaede, however, wasn’t listening. Instead she was looking at Kirumi seemed to be trying to hold back her laughter. It was cute.

 

 

“It’s already 10am? How long did we wander around town for?” asked Rantaro, stretching his arms above his head before splaying himself across the sofa. Maki rolled her eyes at him.

Tsumugi sighed. “Well, probably a pretty long time, plus there was the whole _Kokichi pushing Miu into a fountain_ issue to deal with-”

“Still haven’t forgiven you, you twink!” yelled an angry Miu as she wrapped a towel around her body.

Kokichi didn’t seem to take offense to that. Miu huffed.

“I’m taking a shower. If anybody comes in, I’ll have Maki kill you.”

“No, you won’t.”

Kaede exhaled. The night had been long, but enjoyable. She was excited to spend another week with her friends, _with Kirumi-_

The girls said goodnight to the boys as they went to their separate rooms.

Entering the piano room, the girls sat on their respective mattresses and got ready to sleep.

Miu emerged from the bathroom five minutes later. “Great, now I’m even more wet than before, who’s fuckin’ idea was this?”

Once everyone was settled, Kaede turned the lights off and lied on her own mattress.

It was quiet for a while, until Angie’s voice cut through the silence.

“What will we do tomorrow?”

“Don’t worry, I have plans.” responded Kaede.

“Ooh, what kind of plans?” that was Tsumugi’s voice.

“It’s a secret!”

“Nyeh, no fair!” whined Himiko.

The girls continued to talk for a while, but Kaede noticed Kirumi hadn’t spoken yet. Was she already sleeping? Best not disturb her.

“Well, goodnight you guys.”

A chorus of ‘goodnights’ answered her.

Kaede smiled to herself.

 

_This will be a fun week._


	2. Day 2: Flower Shops, Vlogging and Balloons

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The gang goes for a brief shopping spree around the mall.  
> Afterwards, a plan is carried out.  
> And finally, the evening is calm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sjsuiduJSHUTYSTD^
> 
> SORRY FOR THE WAIT
> 
> im gonna explain a few things hereee  
> right now, things are lighthearted.  
> the angst will be appearing later.  
> i will ALWAYS put warning in the chapter notes when major topics are brought up.  
> in this chapter, there is only one brief mention, however it is not very evident.  
> for now, enjoy some fluffy lightheartedness!!
> 
> ALSOOO  
> ill be drawing a few scenes from each chapter as comics. idk when the first one will be out, but hopefully itll be at the same time as next chapter
> 
> ALSO ALSO  
> HAPPY BDAY BEST BOI GONTA
> 
> okay so uhhh enjoy this chapter  
> please like and comment!!

Kaede awoke to the sound of screaming.

She bolted upwards, causing her blanket to fly off to the side.

Forgetting she was sleeping near a piano, her head collided with it’s base and sent a sharp sting of pain through her body. She did her best to ignore the pain.

At once, she took in her surroundings.

The lights were already on, and the door was opened. A few of the mattresses were empty. The remaining girls, who had still been sleeping, were waking up confused and scared.

Kaede scanned the room, trying to see who was missing.

One of the twin sized mattresses was empty, while another still held a very angry and tired Miu. Her messy hair was drastically frizzed up, probably from her shower the night before.

“What the fuck…?” swore the Ultimate Inventor. “What time is it…?”

Kaede ignored her. She concluded that Himiko, Tenko and Angie were missing. Apart from that, one other mattress was empty.

Tsumugi looked around, her hair a mess. “What’s going on?” she yawned, stretching her arms.

Maki groaned from across the room. She was curled up in a ball, clutching something in her hands.

Kaede then noticed the other empty mattress was the one closest to her’s. Kirumi’s mattress.

_Did something happen?_

Another scream erupted into the air, but this time, it was followed by laughter.

Kaede bolted out of the room and almost ran straight into Kokichi, who stopped running just in time. He appeared to be holding something.

His hair was disheveled, and he was only in his pajama bottoms. However, his checkered bandana still hung around his neck.

Kokichi paused for a moment, looked behind him and immediately began running again.

“Wh-”

However, Kaede was interrupted by the sound of very loud footsteps coming her way. A moment later, Tenko zoomed past her, screeching.

“You degenerate! Get back here!”

Kaede could hear Kokichi’s laughter in the distance.

Confused, Kaede headed to the kitchen, where Himiko and Kirumi were already waiting. Kaede noticed Himiko wasn’t wearing her favourite magician’s hat.

“Hey uh, Himiko, did something happen?” asked Kaede.

The magician yawned. “Kokichi stole my hat. Tenko was trying to get it back.”

Kaede groaned.

_That’s it? I thought someone died!_

Just then, a loud _smack_ could be heard, followed by a low _oww_ and triumphant laughter.

She exchanged a look of exasperation with Kirumi.

_Is this what motherhood is like?_

 

-

 

It was already 9am when everybody had gathered in the dining room.

Tenko had managed to catch Kokichi and retrieve Himiko’s hat, but not before Kokichi smashed face first into the wall.

“It was a beautiful sight.” said Tenko, grinning. Kokichi merely groaned in pain.

Meanwhile, across the table, Angie and Gonta were staring at Ryoma in awe. The tennis player didn’t have his hat on. Gonta patted the smaller student’s red hair, which smoothed under his big palm.

“We’ve never seen you without your hat on before!” said Angie, dumbfounded.

“It cute!” beamed the entomologist. He patted harder, the force causing poor Ryoma body’s to squish as well.

“There’s actual hair under his hat?!” yelled Kaito. He sighed dramatically. “Conspiracy theory debunked.”

Ryoma made a low growl, clearly embarrassed.

A moment later, Maki trotted into the room, wearing her usual attire. Kaede noticed her open the utensil drawer and put a knife away.

Rantaro eyed her. “Did you… sleep with that?”

Maki’s expression didn’t waver. “So what if I did?”

Rantaro looked concerned and scooted his chair away from her.

Keebo was watching wistfully as Angie crunched an apple between her teeth. The robot, of course, couldn’t eat. Kaede was tempted to offer him oil or batteries, but she was afraid he would accuse her of robophobia… _again_.

Kokichi was still groaning, but stopped abruptly, sitting up. Shuichi, who had been comforting him, reared back in surprise. He bumbed into Keebo, who was sitting next to him. The robot’s metal body must have hurt Shuichi, who winced in pain. Keebo began apologizing relentlessly.

“Kaede! I’m hungry!” yelled the Supreme Leader.

Kaede rolled her eyes. “Find something.”

Kokichi gasped in fake shock. “Is this how you treat your guests? I’ll just have to leave!”

Miu spoke up. “Please do.”

Kokichi’s shock was real this time, but he recovered quickly and got up to look for something to eat.

He opened a single cabinet and inspected its contents.

After searching for about two seconds, he raised his arms dramatically. “I can’t find anything!”

“You didn’t even try looking!” yelled Keebo.

“Yes, I did!” Kokichi yelled back. “But all I found were plates!”

“That’s because you looked in the plate cabinet!”

Kokichi ignored him, raising his eyebrows. His eyes scanned the students and landed on Kirumi.

“Mom, can you make me something?”

Kirumi looked up from where she sat at the table. She began to stand up from her chair.

Kaede narrowed her eyes. “No, she can’t. I’ll do it.”

Kirumi looked shocked. “Kaede, it is my duty as a maid to-” Kaede didn’t let her finish, signaling her to sit down.

“You’re not a maid right now, you’re a guest! I’ll make something.”

Kirumi eyes widened, but she didn’t protest. The two girls shared a look for a few moments until that peace was shattered by- you guessed it- Kokichi.

“She’s your guest too! Why did you treat her so differently?” It didn’t sound like a genuine question. In fact, there seemed to be a hint of understanding in his tone.

_Oh crap. He’s onto me._

“I uh- I’ll go make breakfast!” she excused herself quickly.

Without saying another word, she headed out of the dining room. She was certain she could feel two pairs of gold and purple eyes burn into her back.

 

-

 

It was 10:30am when everyone had finished breakfast. After cleaning up, they sat in the living room and discussed their plans for the day.

“So? What’s on the agenda for today?” asked Tsumugi. The cosplayer wore a shirt depicting a dark haired teenage boy with some sort of black and white mask on. The cat on his shoulder was also black and white, with bright blue eyes and a yellow bandanna.

 “Well, for now I don’t really have much of anything.” confessed Kaede, with her usual clothing on.

Kokichi reared back. “Whaaat? Miss ‘always prepared’ DOESN’T have a plan?” he gasped. He wore a white pollo and jeans with his signature bandanna.

Kaede rolled her eyes. “I never said that. Let me finish.”

Kokichi shut up, and Kaede continued.

“Right now, we’re going to the mall again, as well as going out to lunch. After that, well, it’s a secret.”

Kaito looked scared. “That’s… worrying.” The astronaut wore a galaxy t-shirt and black pants, as expected.

“What? Are you scared?” asked Angie in a mocking tone. The artist had on her usual outfit.

Kaito denied this adamantly.

Kirumi stood up. “If nobody has anything else to say, we should go.” The maid wore a pastel purple shirt, jeans and her normal headband.

Kaede nodded. “Yep! Back to the mall we go!”

Miu snarled. She wore her usual clothing, minus the goggles, ‘choker’ and gloves. “Kokichi, if you even try pushing me into the fucking fountain again, your bitchass is going to hell.”

Kokichi shrugged. “I’m already going to hell. Might as well make it grand.”

 

-

 

“Where do you need to go, Kirumi?”

Once at the mall, the students separated again, and Kaede was left with Kirumi.

“Oh, there is a flower shop nearby, yes? I was thinking of going there.” replied the maid. Kaede smiled.

“I love flowers! I’ll come with you!”

The flower shop was a five-minute walk away, not that Kirumi minded. The two girls chatted the whole time, and the maid greatly enjoyed seeing Kaede smile.

The two girls arrived at the shop and were immediately hit with the strong scent of flowers. Rows of flowers coloured all different hues lined the rows, and the roof was made of glass. a few customers walked around the store, examining the many different types.

Kaede was in total awe. “Everything’s so beautiful!”

_These flowers aren’t the only beautiful thing here-_

Kirumi nodded and Kaede turned to her. “Were you thinking of getting flowers for someone?”

There was a certain… edge to her voice.

Her question caught Kirumi off guard, taking her a few seconds to formulate a response. “I- uh- no- uh- my mother is a florist, so I always loved admiring flowers.”

Something dissipated in Kaede’s eyes: it had been faint and short lived. What was that? Jealousy?

_As if._

Kirumi began walking through the aisles, inspecting flowers left and right, Kaede trailing behind her with a look full of admiration.

Kirumi was interested in the lilies, her personal favourites. As she approached, however, she noticed a few bees buzzing around. She was incredibly afraid of bees, so she merely kept walking. Hopefully the pianist hadn’t noticed.

For fifteen minutes, the girls wandered around the shop, admiring the gorgeous plants on display. They were organized by colour, in the same order as a rainbow.

_It’s practically symbolism for my current situation…_

“So, your mother is a florist?” asked Kaede as they stopped in front of some enormous sunflowers. The sun shone through the ceiling, reflecting off the petals. The flower glowed yellow, true to its name.

“That is correct.” replied Kirumi. She reached out her hand to touch the petals. They were soft.

The pianist took interest in some flowers on the other side of the aisle: pink roses of all hues. They matched her eyes.

Kaede turned her head face towards her. “What about your father?”

Kirumi flinched.

The sun seemed to dim. The flowers stopped glowing. The petals felt sharp under her fingers. The sound of bees buzzing faded into the background.

Kaede immediately looked concerned. She was by her side in an instant. “Hey, are you okay?” she put her hand on her arm. The sudden warm touch only rattled her more.

“I- I’m fine.” sighed Kirumi. She couldn’t think straight; her calm composure had shattered. They were silent for a moment before Kirumi sneezed.

_So much for the tense atmosphere._

Kaede stepped back. “Bless you. Are you sure you’re all right?”

Kirumi groaned. “Pollen allergies.” Being with Kaede had made her forget about that for a second. at least now they had an excuse to leave. “We should go…”

Even with that dismissal, Kaede’s concerned expression remained. Clearly, she knew something was wrong.

Kirumi didn’t feel like looking at flowers anymore. They left the shop at a slower pace than how they had entered. At the corner of her vision, a vase of blood red roses seemed to mock her.

 

-

 

They all met up at the restaurant as planned. Sitting at a long table, they ordered and waited.

The air was filled with the sound of chatter. Other customers were seated around the restaurant, since it was lunchtime.

A few minutes later, two bowls of nachos were placed on the table.

Tenko was talking excitedly with Himiko, who merely nodded her head and blinked slowly in acknowledgement.

Meanwhile, Angie chatted nonstop about art to Miu, who listened happily. It was an odd sight. Miu didn’t sneer, ignore her or get annoyed, and Angie didn’t mention Atua once. They seemed to be enjoying themselves.

Gonta was discussing bugs with Shuichi. The detective thought it was quite interesting. Gonta was pretty naïve and may not be the smartest, but his knowledge on bugs knows no bounds.

Tsumugi, eyes bright, was going on and on about an anime she had just watched while Maki listened. The assassin, who obviously didn’t know anything about anime, could only nod and pretend to understand what the cosplayer was raving about.

Ryoma and Kaito talked about tennis. While Ryoma was the Ultimate Tennis Pro, Kaito confessed he had been on a tennis team when he was younger. That must have been one of the only things similar between them.

Rantaro and Kokichi sat on either side of Kiyo, who held a chip in his hand. They eyed him aggressively, and Kiyo seemed uncomfortable.

“Can I… help you?” he asked them cautiously.

Kokichi narrowed his eyes. “Eat it.”

Kiyo shifted in his seat. “What are you doing…?”

Rantaro’s expression didn’t change. “We need to figure out how on earth you manage to eat with your mask on.”

“Yeah, do you take it off?”

Kiyo paused, then shook his head. Rantaro scowled. “How do you eat then?”

Their conversation caught the attention of the other students, who turned towards Kiyo, curiosities peaked.

“I’ve never actually seen Kiyo eat.” said Ryoma.

“Neither have I!” yelled Angie. “Atua hasn’t either!”

“Show us, you fucking cryptid!” sneered Miu.

Kiyo must have grinned, because the corner of his mask angled upwards. He brought the chip to the zipper of his mask. Kokichi and Rantaro waited with baited breath.

Suddenly, the chip… disappeared.

It was silent for a moment. You could hear a pin drop. The only sound to be heard was the buzzing of the restaurant. None of the students even breathed. Everyone was in complete and utter shock.

Then, all hell broke loose.

“What. The. FUCK?!” Kokichi yelled. Rantaro’s eyed widened. Kiyo snickered.

“Wait- how did- where- the FUCK?!” Kokichi screeched again.

“Be quiet!” shushed the detective.

“How did you do THAT?!” yowled the adventurer, shaking.

Kiyo shrugged. “Magic.”

Himiko nodded. “I can confirm. There was definitely a strong aura emanating from him.”

Kaito looked horrified. “That’s not magic, that’s fucking witchcraft!”

Gonta’s eyes shone. “Where did it go?!”

Keebo sighed. “This is… much to strange.”

Maki buried her face in her hands. “I can’t deal with this.”

Kaede shivered. “That was terrifying.”

“Don’t ever do that again.”

“Well, I’m not sleeping tonight!”

“Jesus Christ, I’ve got so many questions!”

“Where- WHERE DID IT GO?!”

Kiyo smiled to himself while the chaos raged around him.

However, one person remained quiet the whole time.

 

-

Once they were back at Kaede’s house, Kokichi threw himself onto the sofa.

“Well, Kaede? You said that plans after lunch were a secret. What now?”

Fear returned to Kaito’s eyes. “Please, no more surprises. I haven’t recovered from…” he turned to Kiyo. Kiyo’s golden eyes stared right back. Kaito shivered.

Kaede winked. “You’ll see! Everyone, wait here! Kirumi, could you come with me?”

The maid nodded in understanding and the two of them left the living room. Kokichi raised his eyebrow at Shuichi.

 

-

 

“Is it time for… that?” asked Kirumi. Kaede nodded, smirking.

_Wow, that sounds dirty-_

 

-

 

The two girls reappeared fifteen minutes later, meeting the others in the living room. Kaede noticed that Rantaro had a camera out.

“What’s that for?” asked Kaede. The students only then realized they had returned. Rantaro smiled, and pointed it towards her.

“It’s my vlogging camera.” he explained. “I’m starting a vlogging channel. Right now, I’m just testing it out, though.”

Kokichi stuck his face into the front of the camera. Himiko, who had been looking at the camera screen, jumped in surprise. Tenko eyed Kokichi with growing rage while Rantaro pushed the Supreme Leader away.

Kokichi beamed, not bothered by being shoved away. “This will be fun!”

Miu rolled her eyes. “Ugh, the vlogs will basically just be a goddamn fucking documentary of this dipshit’s dumbassery!” she snarled. “I don’t wanna be in it!”

Tsumugi turned to her. “That was… quite the tongue twister.”

Kokichi’s smile disappeared. “Well duh, if Rantaro actually wants views on his videos, he’d know not to put you in them, since nobody wants to watch anything with you in it, you fucking dumbass.”

Miu’s eyes widened. Angie put her hand on the inventor’s arm, and she settled down immediately. Kokichi looked unimpressed.

Kirumi dipped her head, then signaled for everyone to be quiet. All eyes settled on Kaede.

“Alright everyone!” she yelled. “Go put on your swimsuits! We’re going swimming!”

Kokichi sprang upwards. “I’ve been waiting for this!”

Maki groaned. Keebo shifted uncomfortably. It was then that Kaede remembered: Keebo was a robot.

“Oh, Keebo, will you be okay?” asked Kaede. Keebo put his hands to his hips a smiled.

“Actually, I am proud to say that I am 100% waterproof!” he beamed.

“Can you swim, though?”

Keebo didn’t answer, since Kokichi did it for him.

“Of course, he can’t, he’d just float to the bottom!”

Keebo twirled his fingers. “Well, I’m fine just standing by the side.”

Kaede pumped her fist in the air. “Great! Let’s meet outside in fifteen minutes!”

 

-

 

As planned, fifteen minutes later, the gang was outside. Everyone was in a swimsuit, Kiyo, Ryoma and Keebo. Apparently, Kiyo wasn’t willing to drop the goth aesthetic for an hour of swimming. Also, he didn’t want to take off his mask. As for Ryoma, he couldn’t even touch the bottom of the shallowest part of the pool.

About twelve seconds after everyone had gathered, Kokichi swiftly pushed Miu into the pool.

“Y-you twink!” she screeched, spluttering as her head broke through the surface.

Kokichi cackled maniacally as he stared down at Miu from the edge of the pool. However, his laughing was cut short when he was sent crashing into the water with a quick shove from Angie.

The students broke into laughter as Kokichi whined angrily. Miu was howling. He looked pleadingly at Shuichi.

“Shu, you need to avenge me!” he yelled. Shuichi shook his head.

“Sorry, can’t do that.”

“Why?!”

“First of all, you aren’t even dead. Second of all, who knows what Atua would do to me if I pushed Angie in?”

Angie nodded, smile as pure as ever. She bent down to high five Miu, who was still in the water.

“Enough dawdling!” yelled Kaito. He grabbed Maki by the arm. Maki’s eyed glowed angrily and he promptly let go. He ran to the edge and cannonballed into the water, showering a still clothed Kiyo with water. The Anthropologist didn’t even react.

One after the other, they began getting in the water. Gonta opted not to cannonball in, as the student’s weren’t sure any water would be left if he did. Maki sat on the edge with her feet in the water while Himiko lounged on an inflatable donut.

It didn’t take long for Kokichi to sneak up on her and flip over the donut, sending Himiko crashing into the water with a loud “nyeh”.

“DEGENERATE!”

Needless to say, Kokichi wound up getting chased by an angry Tenko. Kokichi’s small size might make him fast, but his speed is no match for a fit Aikido Master.

Tsumugi sighed from where she stood in the water. “Just like this morning…”

Kokichi clung to Shuichi’s back, who squeaked in protest. Kokichi didn’t weigh much though.

But at the sight of Tenko speeding towards them, he panicked and was sent sprawling when she crashed into them. However, by then all anger had dissolved and the students all laughed happily.

At that moment, however, Rantaro looked around.

“Hey, aren’t we missing two people?”

Shuichi stopped laughing and scanned the area. Rantaro was right.

“Where are Kaede and Kirumi?” he asked. The others shrugged. Kokichi wiggled his eyebrows at Shuichi.

 

-

 

Kaede pulled the bucket full of water balloons with loud heaving, but she refused to ask Kirumi for help. The maid also held a bucket in her hand, but she didn’t struggle.

_She’s… so strong…_

The two girls were standing on the side of the house near the pool. They were out of sight from the others, who they would hear laughing from the pool.

The two girls were in bathing suits, but Kirumi wore a silky cover up.

Kaede dropped the bucket with a loud huff, and Kirumi placed hers next to it.

“So, we just, gotta…” Kaede tried to speak but she was still out of breath. That bucket weighed a ton. How many water balloons did they make?

Kirumi gave her a minute to catch her breath. Finally, Kaede spoke again.

“We’re gonna have a water balloon fight!” she yelled.

Kirumi nodded. They had been over this. “What will we do with the water guns?”

Kaede winked. “Those will be for another time.” she bent down and grabbed a balloon from one of the buckets, and Kirumi did the same.

“How should we start this?” asked the maid.

“Has there ever been a specific person you’ve wanted to throw a water balloon at?”

Kirumi was thoughtful for a moment. A smile spread across her face. Chances are they both knew exactly who to start with.

Kaede nodded. “Do it.”

 

-

 

“Kirumi and Kaede aren’t here yet… and this was their idea!” said Kaito two seconds before he was splashed by Kokichi. It didn’t really affect him, since he was already wet, but the fact that it was Kokichi made him angry. The astronaut chased him to the side of the pool, but the little gremlin hopped out of the water before he could be caught.

“Nishishi- you can’t get me!”

The Supreme Leader continued to mock Kaito as Tsumugi looked worried. Maki cocked her head to the side.

“Is something wrong?” she asked the cosplayer.

“Oh, it’s nothing, but…”

“What?”

“I don’t know why, but I get the feeling something’s about to happen…”

“Why would you th-”

Maki’s words were cut short as something shot through the air. Everything happened so quickly that nobody had time to react. However, Shuichi turned just in time to see something collide with Kokichi’s face.

_Smack!_

The sound was followed by a gushing noise, and seconds later Kokichi’s face and hair was soaked with water. Kaito burst out laughing.

“Serves you right!”

Soon enough, the others joined in.

Kokichi wiped the water from his face and looked at the ground.

“Are you hurt?”

Shuichi emerged from the pool to see if his boyfriend was okay, but followed Kokichi’s gaze and noticed something on the cement. The others kept laughing.

He bent down to pick it up and inspected it. Kokichi eyed is cautiously while rubbing his nose, wincing.

It was bits and pieces of something pink and rubbery.

“A balloon?”

Kokichi frowned. “Where did it even come from?”

“Not just a balloon!”

All students went quiet and turned to face the source of the noise.

“A water balloon!”

They saw two girls standing near the pool, buckets by their sides and balloons in hand. They smiled mischievously.

“Kaede? Kiru-”

A second balloon short past them and got Kokichi on the arm. It splattered water on the ground and into Shuichi’s face.

Kokichi shook his arm and narrowed his eyes at them. A wicked smile spread across his face.

“Oh, it’s on.”

Kirumi and Kaede darted away from the buckets as Kokichi approached. He grabbed a balloon and chucked it at Kaede, narrowly missing her leg. She giggled.

It only took a few seconds for all hell to break loose.

Soon, the students were scattered across the backyard, blocking balloons and aiming for the others.

Tenko shot one at Angie, getting her leg, but Miu appeared out of nowhere and got her shoulder. Tenko laughed and ran to protect Himiko, who was being targeted by Tsumugi.

Kokichi cackled and sprinted towards Gonta, who stood far from the commotion, not knowing what to do. He leaped onto the Entomologist’s back.

“Protect me!” he yelled.

Gonta smiled and stood still, but soon Rantaro caught up to them and Kokichi bolted away.

Maki’s eyes locked onto Kaito, who was attempting to appear hidden by standing absolutely still. The assassin shot the balloon with deadly accuracy, getting Kaito square in the back. He yelped in surprise. Shuichi laughed from across the yard.

“Get sniped!” yelled Kokichi, who was hit on the foot seconds later by Keebo. Keebo smiled proudly, but Kokichi pretended not to notice to mess with him, and the robot sighed sadly.

Kaede and Kirumi had teamed up. The pianist was soaking wet, but Kirumi was relatively dry. Kaede guessed everyone was too afraid to throw a balloon at her. It would be like throwing it at your mom.

Kirumi’s precision was on point, and she hit all her targets.

Kaede had never seen the maid this… non-formal. She had also never seen her smile that much. It was a pretty smile. Kaede wished she could see it more often.

“You’re good at this!” huffed Kaede as a ball came bouncing to her feet. She picked it up and got Shuichi on the head.

Kirumi turned to her. “My past master requested I play sports against him many times.”

Across from them, Ryoma threw a balloon at Tenko, but she moved out of the way and the balloon hit a passive Kiyo square in the chest and sent him crashing, fully clothed, into the pool. Ryoma flinched, but Kokichi cackled.

“Don’t mess with the Ultimate Tennis Pro!” he yowled before throwing a water balloon at poor unsuspecting Gonta. But due to differences in strength, the balloon bounced weakly off the Entomologist.

“Aww, come on! Wh-”

His whining was cut short when every person in the backyard threw a balloon at him all at once.

“For Gonta!” they yelled in unison as Kokichi’s screeches were drowned out by the sound of balloons popping.

 

-

 

“Owww…” groaned Kaito as he rubbed his back. “Maki Roll… really got me…”

“Oh, grow up.”

By the time the fight had ended, it was almost 5pm. For an hour, they had to pick up the rubber pieces of the popped balloons.

Once they had finished, they gathered on the sofa in the living room for “dinner”, which was a pack of potato chips being passed around.

Kokichi rested his head on Shuichi’s lap as the detective stroked his forehead and ran his hand through the messy purple hair. Kokichi seemed to be at total peace. Only five minutes ago, he had been wincing in over dramatic pain at the non-existent marks he had received during the fight.

Angie had her tablet out and was drawing, with Miu not-so-subtly leaning against her shoulder to watch. If Angie did notice, she didn’t say anything. Miu said something Kaede couldn’t hear, and Angie replied with a smile that made Miu go red.

_As if they couldn’t be any more obvious…_

Kaede wondered what would happen if she acted so blatant with Kirumi, flirted as shamelessly as Angie did. And, as if summoned, the maid appeared in the living room- in her _maid outfit_.

“Kirumi, why are you in that outfit?” asked Ryoma, voicing Kaede’s thoughts.

Kirumi dipped her head. “I feel more comfortable like this.” That was the end of that conversation.

The maid settled down on the sofa- next to Kaede- who’s heart began beating twelve times faster.

Kirumi, sitting with perfect posture as always, smiled at Kaede. The pianist almost had a stroke.

“Does anyone need anything?” she asked. Tenko looked up from where she was on the sofa, lounging with Himiko on her chest. A brief muttered conversation with the magician later and Tenko spoke up.

“How about something to drink?”

Just as Kirumi was about to get up, Rantaro leaped from the couch.

“I’ll get it!”

Kirumi sat back down and didn’t notice Rantaro eyeing the two girls. He winked at Kaede.

_He’s onto me._

Now she had to deal with three boys knowing about her crush.

A second later, Rantaro’s voice could be heard from the kitchen. He sounded angry.

“Why the FUCK is there a Costco pack of Panta in the fridge?!”

Kaede saw Kokichi’s face break into a smile.

 

-

 

Time went on, and soon, it was getting late. Maki got up and went to bed, followed soon after by Angie, Miu, Himiko, Tenko…

One by one, the students left to sleep. Soon, only two people were left.

Kaede and Kirumi.

They had a conversation for a while, but Kaede was busy looking into Kirumi’s pretty green eyes.

Soon, Kirumi stood up from the couch.

“It was nice talking to you, Kaede, but I must go. You should get some sleep aswell. Goodnight.” she bowed, taking the ends of her skirt between her fingers.

“Y-yeah, I will. Goodnight!”

With that, the maid left the room and Kaede was alone.

She sat completely still, but her mind was racing.

_How can a human being be so goddamn pretty?_

 She couldn’t stop thinking about the day.

The way Kirumi had acted during the water balloon fight, how full of energy she was. Kaede had never seen her like that before.

The way she had talked with Kaede, and how her eyes seemed brighter than they’d ever been.

Kaede was so glad Kirumi seemed to be enjoying herself.

She always felt like the maid was detaching herself from the group, like she was nothing but a maid, a servant to them.

She didn’t take part in most conversations, or participate in group activities at school. She always stood near but not with the group, waiting to receive a request.

Kaede always offered to bring her into the group, but even then, the maid still acted formal.

But since yesterday, when the week started, she really seemed to come out of her shell. She took part in more conversations, and she wore something other than her maid outfit for the first time in a while.

And yet…

At the flower shop, the second Kaede asked about her father, Kirumi seemed to retreat back into her shell. She claimed everything was fine, but you could tell just from her expression that she had lied.

_Kirumi had reacted so negatively at the mention of her father. Why?_

However, before Kaede could think any more, she was suddenly aware of a presence at the entrance of the living room. She felt a gaze pierce her back- actually, three gazes.

She turned around and came face to face with Kokichi, Shuichi, and Rantaro.

“Uh- hey guys!”

Rantaro didn’t waste any time.

“You have a crush on Kirumi, don’t you?”

Kaede flinched, and the adventurer smirked.

“W-what? No, o-obviously…” she didn’t seem to be convincing them. “S-so what if I do?”

Kokichi smacked his hands together. “I KNEW it!” Kaede shushed him quickly.

Rantaro squeeled, which was very unlike him. Shuichi chuckled. Kaede’s face turned bright red.

“Ugh, guys…”

“Kaede, we’re happy for you! You two are perfect for each other!”

Kaede grimaced and turned her head to the side. Shuichi stepped forward.

“You don’t have to be ashamed! I wouldn’t be surprised if she liked you back.”

With that, Kaede shrugged. “Pfft. Yeah right. Anyways, I’m going to bed. See you tomorrow”

She walked out of the living room.

The three boys looked at each other.

“Do you think it’ll work out?” asked Rantaro.

Kokichi nodded. “Yep! All we need to give them is a little… push.” he smiled mischievously.

“Ya think we could get them together by the end of this week?”

Shuichi looked thoughtful for a second. “Probably.” Kokichi beamed.

Rantaro dipped his head. “Alright, well, goodnight you two.” he said, dashing out of the room. Kokichi and Shuichi were left alone.

“Shu, carry me, I can’t walk anymore!” said Kokichi dramatically.

Shuichi knew he was lying, but picked him up bridal style. Kokichi didn’t weigh much.

“Thanks! Now I can do this!”

Before Shuichi could even react, Kokichi brought his head close to his and brought their lips together.

It only lasted a few seconds, but Shuichi was left a blushy mess. After recovering, he gave Kokichi an unimpressed look.

“I could drop you, you know.”

“Like you would ever do that to your beloved boyfriend!”

Shuichi sighed, but he was smiling. “You’re such a dork.”

Kokichi grinned. “Yup! Now, take me to my bed, sweet prince!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ill try and get the next one out for next week. thanks for reading!!
> 
> also points to you if you got the reference to a certain game,,,, heh


	3. Day 3: Down Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With no plans, we get to see what the gang does with their free time. Basically, lots of shenanigans.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im alive  
> BITCH
> 
> sorrryyyyyy for the wait! I've had some of this down for a while. 2 weeks ago, I wrote up to the moment where Kaede and Shuichi talk. I wrote everything else last night and this morning!
> 
> I tried going for more 'serious' stuff here, sorta, idk
> 
> things are gonna get interesting reallll quick ;)))))
> 
> HAPPY BIRTHDAY KAEDE!!! STAY TUNED FOR A SMALL ONESHOT FOR HER
> 
> enjoy!!!!!!! next chapter is..... uhhhhhh someday
> 
> (ps.... im also gonna be making art for this.... if ever... you wanna make fanart.... go ahead...... h)

When Kirumi woke up, the room was still in total darkness.

Briefly scanning the room, she picked up the sounds of people breathing around her. She managed to see the other girls still fast asleep.

Kirumi sighed. Not knowing what time it was but seeing no point in falling asleep again, she quietly stood up from the mattress and, careful not to wake anyone, walked out of the room and closed the door behind her.

The house was eerily quiet, only disturbed by the muffled sound of the boys snoring next door. An analog clock on the corridor wall displayed the time: 5:30am.

No worries, Kirumi was used to waking up early. After all, every morning at the academy, she made breakfast for everyone.

_Maybe I should do that now?_

_Wait, no, Kaede said not to act like a maid._

_But they’d appreciate it…_

_Or forget to thank me, which happens quite a lot._

She stood in the hallway for a few minutes, debating in her mind. She then realized how silly she looked and headed to the kitchen, still in her nightgown.

It was then that, as she approached the kitchen, she heard a clanking sound. The sound was followed by a loud thwap, as if something fell to the ground.

_Is someone there?_

Rushing to the kitchen, she arrived upon an odd scene.

There was a bag of flower on the ground. The white powder was spewed everywhere, thickening the air. There were bowls on the counter of all shapes and sizes, along with cooking instruments such as a measuring cup, teaspoons and teacups. Finally, among the carnage, stood a figure.

That figure was none other than the Supreme Leader himself.

Kokichi was fully dressed in his usual attire. His entire front side was spotted with flower, with some dotting his hair.

The two stared at each other for a few seconds. There was a look of shame on Kokichi’s face as he opened his mouth to speak.

“I, uh- I can explain.”

Kirumi frowned. “Please do.”

Kokichi took a deep breath and began to explain. He had gotten up early so he could make breakfast for Shuichi.

Kirumi was not expecting that. She thought he’d purposefully made a mess so she would have to clean it up. She smiled.

_I guess he does have a soft side._

“How did you even manage to make such a mess?” she asked. Kokichi shrugged.

“There was… an attempt, I guess.”

Kirumi sighed.

“Hey, uh, Kirumi, could you, uh, help me clean this?”

Just before she accepted his request, she stopped. Kaede had told her to not act like a maid.

She frowned and crossed her arms. “Why should I?”

Kokichi was thoughtful for a second. Then, a malicious grin spread across his face.

“Cause if you don’t, I’ll tell Kaede you have a crush on her.”

Kirumi flinched. Her composed posture vanished. She eyed Kokichi wildly.

“H-how did y-”

“Oh please, I’m a Supreme Leader of evil, and a master liar! I’m an expert at analyzing the feelings of others!”

_Oh, right._

“Hooooowever,” he began, smirking. “I didn’t know for sure. I just took a shot in the dark. But your reaction just proved it to me!”

Kirumi panicked.

_So much for having a softer side._

“So, are you gonna help me, orrrr….?”

Kirumi groaned.

“You win this time.”

Kokichi snickered.

Taking out a broom, she gave Kokichi a dustpan.

“Kokichi?”

“Hm?”

“Were you really going to tell her?”

Kokichi’s eyes widened.

“What? Never! I may be an evil leader, but I’d never snitch on my mother!” he grinned. “Don’t worry, your secret is safe with me. And that’s not a lie!”

Kirumi sighed in relief, but the look in Kokichi’s eyes gave her the feeling that the boy knew more than he was letting on.

 

“Any plans, piano girl?” asked Kokichi.

It was 10am. Everyone was awake, and everyone had had breakfast. They were their usual rowdy selves. Throughout breakfast, Kaede swore she saw Kirumi cast a few glances at Kokichi, though she had no idea why.

Now, the gang was gathered in the living room.

Kaede sighed. “Nope. Nothing planned. Let’s think of something!”

As expected, no one made an effort to pitch in any ideas.

“Come on, you guys!”

Reluctantly, a few of them began shouting.

“We could go to the zoo…?”

“Swimming again!”

“How about we sleep.”

No one had any concrete ideas. Eventually, Kaede threw her hands in the air in exasperation.

“Screw it, we’re staying in today!”

 

Everyone went off to do their own things.

Kiyo was on the back porch, reading a book about anthropology. Kaede didn’t recall owning a book like that, so he must have brought it himself.

Angie, Tenko and Himiko went off somewhere, to do Atua knows what. Probably planning the demise of Kokichi.

Kirumi left to go grocery shopping before Kaede could say anything. She was grateful, though. Kaede hadn’t stocked the fridge since her parents left.

Miu and Keebo were in the room the girls were staying in. Miu was probably doing maintenance on him.

Gonta was off to walk outside. “I look for bugs!” was all he said before he rushed out the door.

Kaede had no idea where Ryoma was. It didn’t worry her, though. It happened quite frequently back at Hope’s Peak.

Maki and Kaito were in the living room, talking. Well, Kaito did most of the talking. Maki just stared at him.

Tsumugi was just across from them, wearing headphones and watching something on her School Pad. Kaede couldn’t tell what it was, but Tsumugi seemed very invested in it.

Kokichi was wandering around the house. Kaede told him that he was forbidden from going upstairs, which was where her and her parent’s rooms were. Kokichi simply giggled and nodded in understanding before he skipped away. Kaede was terrified of what he was off to do.

Rantaro was in the room the boys were staying in. Kaede didn’t know what he was doing, but she could hear him talking to himself. Weird.

Kaede had no idea what to do. She’d planned on hanging out with Kirumi.

She sighed. Standing alone in the kitchen, she paced around, thinking of something, anything, to do. She’d thought of playing piano, but judging by the sounds coming from the piano room, Miu was doing maintenance on Keebo in that room and Kaede did not want to see that.

Just then, a voice from behind her made her jump.

“Kaede, can I talk to you?”

Kaede turned around and Shuichi stood in front of her.

The detective looked worried. Kaede frowned.

“Yeah man, what’s up?”

Shuichi looked around, as if checking to make sure no one was around. Finally, he sighed.

“Do you know what day it is in two days?”

Kaede blinked. “Uh, Thursday?”

“No, I mean, the date.”

“…June 21st?”

Shuichi nodded. Kaede was even more confused.

“What’s up with that?” she asked. His eyes widened, but then he promptly relaxed. He mumbled something like _I didn’t expect you to remember_ before he spoke up.

“June 21st. Kokichi’s birthday.”

Realization hit her like a truck.

_Oh, right! I completely forgot!_

“Of course!” Kaede yelled. “Are you planning something?”

“Yeah, well, I was hoping you could, uh… help me out?” he twirled his fingers. “I want to do something for him, but I don’t know what.”

_So that’s why he wanted to talk to me._

“Shuichi, I want to help you, but I’m not… really experienced with things like these. Why don’t you ask Kaito?”

Shuichi shook his head. “I thought of that, but he’s not really the best with these things either, not to mention he loathes Kokichi.”

Kaede put her hand to her chin. “I guess.”

There was silence. The two of them were lost in thought, until Kaede broke the silence.

“Well, uh, I can make a proposition.”

Shuichi looked up.

“There’s a closet upstairs. You could spend some time in that.”

Shuichi’s eyes widened and his face flushed while Kaede giggled.

“K-Kaede! I need serious suggestions!” he spluttered.

“Sorry, sorry!” she laughed

Shuichi groaned and buried his face in his hands. Kaede put a hand to her chin.

“Hey, here’s a serious suggestion!” Shuichi moved his hands away to eye her suspiciously. Kaede narrowed her eyes. “For real this time.” Shuichi backed down.

“I doubt you’ll want to stay here, so how about you spend the entire day outside the house?” she smiled. “Go to the mall, the movies, have lunch together, like a day long date!”

Shuichi blinked. Then, he slowly nodded.

“Yeah. I think that could work. I could just ask him what he wants to do!” he smiled a little. “Thanks, Kaede.”

“No problem.”

Shuichi quietly left the room, and Kaede was once again left alone.

“Kokichi’s birthday, in two days.” she whispered.

_Two days._

“OH, SHIT!” she yelled way too loudly.

_None of us have bought any gifts!_

Maki and Kaito weren’t talking anymore.

Instead, all their attention was on Tsumugi.

Kaito turned to Maki. “Why is she sitting here?” he whispered.

“Miu and Keebo are in our sleeping area.”

“She couldn’t have gone literally anywhere else?”

“…guess not.”

Tsumugi had huge Bluetooth headphones on, and her knees were up to her chest. Her School Pad was on her legs and she was staring very closely at the screen. Reflections of light swam across her face as she glared intensely at whatever she was watching.

The cosplayer didn’t notice them staring. She was way to invested in what Maki and Kaito assumed was anime.

Her face was red, her nose was twitching, eyes watering…

Wait.

“Is she… crying?”

A single tear escaped Tsumugi’s eye.

“Wow.” was all Kaito could say.

Maki blinked. “Should…we…go…comfort her?”

Maki had tried that once. It did not go well.

“Is she hurt? Did she somehow injure herself while sitting perfectly still?”

Maki shrugged. “Maybe her eyes are watering because she’s too close to the screen.”

Tsumugi whimpered. She was trembling.

Kaito gulped. “Nope. Should we ask her what’s up?”

“And interrupt her anime watching sesh? Do you want to die?”

“First of all, yes, and second of all, ‘sesh’?”

Maki glared at him.

As they debated their next move, Tsumugi let out a huge sigh that shook a bit, took of her headphones, which she let plummet to the ground. On her screen, credits were displayed.

She turned to Maki and Kaito. There was an uncomfortable silence.

Finally, Tsumugi talked.

“My… contacts are a bit messed up…”

Kaito blinked. “You wear glasses.”

Maki looked at the screen. “Those are Devilman Crybaby credits.”

Tsumugi immediately gave up. “Fine, yeah, it made me cry. Again.”

Kaito narrowed his eyes. “Haven’t you watched that like eight times?”

Tsumugi blinked. “And?”

Kaito went silent.

“Wait, Maki… how’d you know those were Devilman Crybaby credits?”

Maki went pale. Tsumugi’s eyes lit up.

“Have you WATCHED Devilman Crybaby?!”

Maki stood up abruptly. “Gotta go.”

She bolted out of the living room. Tsumugi pursued her.

“No, wait! We gotta talk about this! Hey! MAKI!”

And with that, both girls were gone, leaving a very confused Kaito alone on the couch.

 

“Hey, whaddup y’all, itsya boy, Rant- what am I doing with my life.”

Rantaro groaned as he stopped the recording of his camera and deleted the footage. He’d been trying to find a fitting intro to the vlog for an eternity, but every time he started the recording he cringed at his own voice.

He sighed. He wasn’t the ultimate filmmaker, actor, or youtuber. Being the Ultimate Adventurer wouldn’t help him with this.

Without warning, the door to the boys sleeping area flung open, and Kokichi strutted into the room.

“Helloooooo, Rantarooooo!” he said cheerfully. “Having trouble coming up with an intro?”

“How’d you know?”

“I was standing outside the room. When I heard you say, “itsya boy”, I think my body cringed inwards and consumed itself.”

Rantaro frowned, but he agreed. He’d had the same reaction. “Well, got any tips?”

Kokichi grinned. “Yep!” he trotted over to Rantaro and slav squatted next to him.

“You look like an idiot.” Rantaro deadpanned.

Kokichi’s smiled dropped. “Really? I thought it’d look cool- anyways!” he said, wincing. “Why need a cool intro at all. I say, don’t soften up the audience. Just throw it all at them at once. You know how to do that?”

Rantaro titled his head, interested. “How?”

Kokichi smirked wickedly. “Pranks.”

Rantaro narrowed his eyes. “Taking advantage of our friends and making them suffer for the sake of the vlog?” he said seriously.

There was silence.

Rantaro smiled. “Awesome, where do we start?”

Kokichi raised his eyebrows. “Kiyo’s on a lounging chair on the back balcony, let’s sneak over there and tear off his mask.

Rantaro shook his head. “Dude, that’s like, opening Pandora’s Box. Who knows what kinds of demons and succubus are hidden under there?”

“Haha, you said succ.” Kokichi said before he fell backwards.

Rantaro blinked slowly. “Let’s not pull off his mask. But, I have another idea.” he leaned forward and whispered to Kokichi, who was still laying on the ground.

Kokichi grinned. “Perfect.”

 

Kiyo felt impending doom.

He didn’t know what, but he felt it.

It had been exactly 37 minutes since he lied down on this chair. Since then, nothing had happened.

Nothing had broken. No one had screamed. No one had died.

Suspicious.

A chill ran up his spine. He felt as if he were being watched.

He swore he sensed a presence approaching him from behind.

“Hey, Kiyo!”

The Anthropologist didn’t flinch. It also didn’t surprise him that the impending doom was Kokichi.

The Supreme Leader was hiding something behind his back.

Kiyo cut to the chase. “What do you want? Are you here to remove my mask?”

Kokichi’s eyes widened. “Whaaaaat? Noooo! Neverrrrrrrrrrr!”

Kiyo’s stared at him.

Kokichi grinned. “I just have something for you!” he removed his hands from behind his back. He was holding a small container with tiny yellow candies in them. He handed the container to Kiyo, who took it.

Kiyo eyed him suspiciously. “What are these?”

Kokichi put a hand to his heart, pretending to be offended. “Kiyo, why are you so suspicious of me? I’d never try to poison you!”

“I never said you would.”

Kokichi winked. “Well, they’re just Tic Tacs! Consider them as a gift from me!”

Kokichi twirled away and disappeared back into the house.

Kiyo look at the candies. They were yellow. He decided he might as well take some.

Taking a few in his hand, he held them to his mask and put them in his mouth… somehow.

He couldn’t pinpoint an exact flavour, but he thought they tasted like Banana Candy.

As he put his hand back into the container to take some more, he noticed a design etched on each individual Tic Tac. He brought one closer to his face and gasped.

They were minion designs.

There was loud laughter coming from inside the house. Kiyo turned to see both Kokichi and Rantaro at the window, the Adventurer pointing a camera at the Anthropologist. They were losing it.

“We got you! You just vored a minion, sucker!”

Kiyo look down at the Tic Tac and back to the boys. His expression didn’t waver. He merely stared while they giggled like fools.

With a final laugh, the two sped off deeper into the house, leaving Kiyo with nothing but a container of God’s mistakes. He crushed the Minion Tic Tac in his palm.

 

“Truth or Dare, Himiko?”

In the mini cinema, Angie, Himiko and Tenko were enjoying themselves. Away from the boys, away from Kiyo being… Kiyo, away from the noise. It was nice.

Angie stared at Himiko, waiting for the magician to answer. Himiko tilted her head up slowly. “Truth.”

Tenko beamed. “Good choice, Himiko!”

Angie raised an eyebrow. “This entire time, she always chose truth.”

“Nyeh, that’s because, if I chose dare, I’d have to get up and I’d rather not.”

Tenko smiled. “Very good point!”

Angie was not having as much fun as she’d hoped she would. She sighed.

“Okay, Himiko, let’s see… are your tricks real magic?”

Himiko’s glare suddenly became very intense. “Yes, of course they are.”

“Yeah, Angie, they are!”

“OKAY!” yelled the artist.

It was silent.

“Sooo….” Angie coughed. “Himiko, your turn. Ask somebody Truth or Dare.”

Himiko looked at Tenko. At the last second, her gaze turned to Angie. “Truth or Dare.”

Tenko seemed very surprised and disappointed that Himiko hadn’t chosen her. Angie shared her surprise.

She put that aside. “Truth.” she answered.

Suddenly, Himiko smirked. Not a cute, happy smirk, but a malicious smirk. Not very common for Himiko.

She spoke in a low voice.

“Do you have a crush on Miu?”

Angie was silent. It took a moment to register Himiko’s question. When she did, however, she freaked.

“W-what?!”

The disappointed on Tenko’s face vanished in an instant. The Aikido Master’s eyes lit up like fireflies. There was an enormous smile on her face.

Angie willed herself not to turn red, but the universe betrayed her.

“Uh… uh…” she stammered.

Himiko blinked. “Yep. You do.”

“Do not!”

“Then why are you blushing so hard?”

Angie huffed. “It’s called, embarrassment!”

Tenko lowered the intensity of her smile. “Ang, there’s no need to be embarrassed! Besides, it’s pretty obvious you two are into each other.”

Himiko nodded slowly.

Angie sighed. “Sorry, sorry, it’s just…”

Tenko stared. “Please. Go on. I love hearing girls talk about other girls.”

Angie smiled slightly. “She’s pretty.”

Tenko squealed. Angie blushed harder.

Tenko exhaled. “It’s like a big, lesbian sleepover. No more girl sleepovers spent talking about dudes! I’ve been to enough of those!”

Himiko turned to her. “Nyeh, I wouldn’t say it’s a big sleepover. There are only three of us here.”

Tenko sat up. “Let’s invite the others!”

Himiko shook her head slightly. “I think we’re good for now, but we could do that another time. Kirumi’s gone, Miu’s ‘fixing’ Keebo, Kaede’s probably planning what we’re gonna do for the rest of the week, Maki’s with Kaito and Tsumugi’s watching anime in the living room.”

Tenko huffed. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. Too bad.”

Himiko wasn’t finished. “Also, Maki’s bi, while Miu and Tsumugi are pan. So, it wouldn’t be a lesbian sleepover.”

Angie nodded. “True. But, hey, Kaede and Kirumi are gay and 100% in love with each other.”

Himiko dipped her head in agreement, but Tenko’s eyes widened. “Wait, WHAT?!”

Angie looked at her, unimpressed. “Seriously? you didn’t notice? Every time they talk, they just… stare into each other’s eyes? They’re together almost every chance they get? They’re pining like crazy!”

Tenko was silent. Angie was sure she’d just blown the Aikido Master’s mind. Tenko gasped.

“Holy shit.”

 

Ryoma had slipped away without anyone noticing.

He was a master at it, really. Being 3ft tall and all.

When Kaede had told everyone to do their own things, he’d walked right out the front door, and onto the sidewalk. Gonta hadn’t even noticed him when the Entomologist rushed outside and walked in the other direction.

Ryoma loved the other students. They were like an enormous family. A dysfunctional family, but a family none the less.

Kirumi was the mom. Kaede was the other mom. Everyone else were the children, except for Keebo, who was the adopted robot child.

Even though he loved them all, he appreciated some time to be alone and quiet.

It was a gorgeous day outside. The temperature was just right, not to hot, but not cold. The air was warm, but a cool breeze blew by every so often.

The sun shone brightly in the sky, not a cloud in sight. Cicadas chirped from the trees, and a few robins pecked at the ground.

Ryoma sighed. Arriving at a nearby park, he sat on a warm bench and closed his eyes, drowning out the noise around him.

It was nice.

Suddenly, his silence was interrupted by a small sound.

At that moment, a cat emerged from some bushes.

It was big. A pretty, gray Maine Coon.

It purred and looked up at Ryoma with big, adorable eyes.

_This is the greatest day of my life._

The cat then approached the bench slowly, and then leaped up and sat next to Ryoma.

It meowed and settled next to him. The Tennis Pro put his hand on its head and began stroking it. The cat purred. Next to Ryoma, who was sitting down, it looked really big.

**_This is the greatest day of my life._ **

The cat lied down while Ryoma continued stroking it. It reminded him of his own cat, back home. He hadn’t seen him since before the school year had started.

He noticed the cat had no collar. Must be a stray.

“Oh, that’s Gray.”

A voice took Ryoma out of his trance. An old woman who sat on a nearby bench was speaking to him.

“Pardon?”

She smiled. “Gray, that’s the cat’s name. She’s a stray, comes around here often, looking for food usually. Not usually do warm with people. She must really like you.”

Ryoma looked down at Gray, who was now curled up against him. He smiled.

**_THIS IS THE GREATEST DAY OF MY LIFE._ **

He suddenly heart footsteps approaching him. Loud footsteps. Gray stirred beside him.

Ryoma looked up and saw Gonta walking towards him.

“Hey big guy.” said Ryoma. “Find any bugs?”

Gonta nodded. “Gonta saw many Monarch Butterflies! Very pretty!”

Ryoma nodded in acknowledgement.

The Entomologist looked at the cat and his eyes lit up.

“Ryoma! You found a cute cat!”

Ryoma blinked at Gray. “Sure did.”

“Can Gonta pet?”

Ryoma gestured for Gonta to sit on the bench. Gonta smiled and did so.

The two boys sat, basking in the sunlight, Gray lying between them. Gonta stroked her gently, and Gray purred.

 

“Miu, did you bring me in here just so you could hide from Angie?”

The inventor flinched. “The FUCK, Keebo?! How d- I mean, why would you think that?!”

Miu and Keebo were in the piano room, aka, the girl’s sleeping area.

Keebo crossed his arms. “I don’t need any inspection, and you know that. You did it before we left the school.”

Miu huffed and turned away from him.

“Angie invited you to hang out with Himiko, Tenko and her but you said you needed to ‘upgrade’ me. Sounds like an excuse to me.”

Miu growled. “FINE! I’m avoiding Angie because I have a crush on her, okay?!”

Keebo blinked. “Well… I was just about to ask why you were avoiding her… but I guess I know now…”

Miu went pale. “Shit.”

Suddenly, she approached Keebo with raw anger in her eyes. “Tell anyone and I’ll never give you that robot dick you’ve always wanted.”

Keebo flinched under her gaze. “I never said I wanted… o-okay, I get it.”

Miu sighed and turned around, walking away from Keebo. The robot shifted uncomfortably.

“So… is that the only reason you wanted to speak with me?”

Miu twirled her fingers. “W-well… I was thinking… maybe I could get some advice?”

Keebo’s eyes widened. Miu exhaled.

“Never mind, you’re a robot, you wouldn’t know…”

Keebo scoffed. “Hey! I can help you! I’m fully equipped with knowledge of all human emotions!” he said proudly, hands on his hips.

Miu blinked slowly. Keebo’s smiled wavered.

“But… I’ve never actually dealt with something like this.”

Miu groaned and sat on her matress. She buried her head in her hands.

Keebo put his hand to his chin.

“Okay, so first, uhh… tell me why you like Angie.”

Miu took her head out of her hands and breathed in.

“Well… she has this sort of… innocence to her. She’s shorter than me, her eyes are pretty, her hair is nice, her…”

Keebo held his hand up for silence. “Okay, okay, got it.” he sighed. “Well, as you said, I’m only a robot, so I can’t give the most solid advice, but I’ll give it a shot.”

Miu turned to him and Keebo spoke.

“Don’t rush into things. Take it slow. Have conversations with her, listen to her talk about her interests. When you think you’re ready, maybe, get her something? Something small. When the time has come, you can tell her.”

Miu nodded, and stared at the floor. She stood up quickly.

“…solid advice, Keeboy!” she hollered. “Thanks, bud!”

She walked over to the door. “Looks like you deserve that robot dick after all.”

“MIU, I DON’T WANT A ROBOT DICK!”

 

The gang had just finished supper, and were now gathered in the mini cinema. After a long day of doing their own things, it felt nice to be back together again.

Kokichi sat upside down on one of the sofas, next to Shuichi, of course. He twirled his feet.

Kirumi entered the room with a bowl of chips, followed by Kaede.

“Alright, everyone!” said Kaede in a cheerful voice. He caught the attention of the others and then continued.

“Tonight, we can either watch a movie or play something.” she began. “I don’t have that many games, though…”

Kokichi ungracefully sat himself upright. “Fear not,” he began, “for I have the solution!”

He grabbed his bag and began rummaging through it, finally pulling out a game case.

“Mario Party 8?” said Maki. Tsumugi beamed.

“Oooh, that’s the best one!”

Miu nodded. “She’s right. Also, if anyone says 9 or 10 was the best one then you’re obviously lying to everyone and also to yourself.”

Tsumugi high fived Miu.

Kaito spoke up. “So, four players?”

Kaede nodded. “Yep, I’ve got four remotes! There are sixteen of us, so there will be four rounds.”

Kirumi dipped her head. “Sounds fair.”

 

First up was Kaito, Rantaro, Kokichi and Shuichi.

Kaito picked Mario, while Rantaro picked Luigi.

Shuichi picked Yoshi. Kokichi picked Boo.

Rantaro turned the the Supreme Leader. “Did you pick Boo just because he’s a ghost?”

Kokichi frowned. “Why would I do that?”

Rantaro smirked. “So you could scare Kaito.”

The Astronaut flinched. “N-now why would I get scared by a ghost in a game?”

Tsumugi spoke up. “You were there when Chiaki and I played Luigi’s mansion. Pretty sure you were crying.”

“I was drunk, okay?!”

Shuichi gasped. “Drunk? Kaito, you’re only seventeen!”

“Plus, he’s too much of a wimp to drink.” Maki said in a deadpan.

Kokichi giggled like crazy. Kaito crossed his arms and huffed.

“I’m not afraid of in game ghosts!”

Rantaro smirked. “Soooo you have no problem with me choosing ‘King Boo’s Haunted Hideaway’, right?”

Kaito lifted his head up. “Nope!”

 

Kokichi was winning, to the surprise of no one. Rantaro was second, Shuichi was third.

Kaito was dead last.

The Astronaut groaned as he was knocked off the platform by a fireball. They were currently playing a minigame. Kaito had been eliminated only 3 seconds in.

A loud “FINISH” was heard, signaling the end of the minigame. Boo was revealed to have won the minigame.

“And… that was the last one!” yelled Miu from behind them. Kaito sighed. He was still last.

“Onto the rewards ceremony!” said Kokichi, grinning.

Rantaro turned to him. “You think you’re gonna win?”

“Of course!”

“We still have the awards ceremony. Someone could win enough bonus stars to defeat you.”

Kokichi blinked. “I have two stars. You have one, while Kaito and Shuichi have none.”

The awards ceremony began. The first star was the ‘Unlucky Star’.

To the shock of no one, Kaito won that star.

There were three bonus stars in total. Shuichi won the last two.

“Shuichi and Kokichi are tied!” said Gonta.

There was surprise on Shuichi’s face.

Finally, the winner was announced.

Yoshi.

The Detective’s eyes widened, while the other students cheered. Kokichi wrapped his arms around him.

“How- I had the same number of stars as Kokichi did!”

Tsumugi beamed. “Yeah, but you had more coins!”

Kokichi squeezed Shuichi tight.

“You did it, Shu!” he yelled. “Great job!”

Shuichi looked at him. “You’re not upset you lost?”

“Nope! I’m happy for you! I’m also happy that Kaito lost.”

The Astronaut threw his hands in the air with an exasperated look.

 

The night went on, round after round.

Kirumi, Kaede, Maki and Gonta, with Maki winning.

Ryoma, Kiyo, Angie and Keebo, with Angie winning.

Finally, Tsumugi, Himiko, Miu and Tenko, with Himiko winning… somehow.

It was really late now. Kokichi yawned from where he slept on the couch. Well, he wasn’t really sleeping. He was just too lazy to go back to the sleeping area. So, Gonta carried him.

Back in the piano room, the girls were chatting.

Tenko not so subtly eyed Kirumi and Kaede as they talked. Ever since Angie and Himiko had insisted they were pining for each other, she’d begun to notice it more and more.

Miu was busy sketching something in a notepad, something she didn’t want Angie to see. The artist was distracted by Himiko’s story.

Maki walked through the door and into the room, holding a knife at her side and scaring the hell out of Tsumugi. The cosplayer thought Maki was about to stab her. The Assassin gave her an unimpressed look.

Kaede leaned closer to Kirumi, causing Tenko to flinch and then promptly relax.

“Kirumi,” Kaede whispered. “Thanks for your help today.”

The maid dipped her head. “My pleasure.”

Kaede smiled. “I think I might need your help tomorrow. All of us, really.”

Kirumi nodded, and Kaede continued.

“June 21st is Kokichi’s birthday. That’s in two days, and none of us have any gifts!”

Kirumi’s eyes widened. “I knew I was forgetting something.”

“Same here. Anyways, I had an idea on how to do this. Everyone says what they want to get Kokichi. Then, maybe you an I can go to the mall and get everything at once?”

Kirumi put her hand to her chin and thought for a moment while Kaede kept talking.

“If all of us go to the mall at once, and we tell Kokichi not to come, it’ll be incredibly suspicious.”

“Agreed.”

Kaede beamed. “Perfect! Thanks, Kirumi!”

“You’re welcome.”

Kaede pushed herself up and walked over to close the lights once everyone was settled.

“Night, everyone!” said Kaede.

A chorus of “Goodnight’s” answered the Pianist as she settled herself into bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> C'EST FINI  
> CHAPITRE 4 QUAND SA ME TENTE


	4. Day 4: Kokichi's Birthday Hunt and Kaede's Wish

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kaede and Kirumi race to get all the gifts needed for Kokichi's birthday, encountering familiar faces along the way.  
> While Kaede is busy pondering her next move with the maid, Shuichi struggles to keep Kokichi clueless.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OWO WHATS THIS???  
> ME??? UPDATING THIS FIC???  
> ITS MORE LIKELY THAN YOU THINK!!
> 
> So, yeah! If you haven't read the brief update on this fic posted on the newest chap. of TRDUA then ill also post it here:  
> "I'll be completely honest, I've lost all motivation to write it. I find myself being embarrassed and unsatisfied with my own work and that's really discouraged me from writing.   
> That doesn't mean I'm cancelling it, no: i intend to finish it. However, since I'll need to force myself to write it, chapters won't come frequently, and they might not be the best I could do.  
> Also, the ending will changed. I had an ending planned, hence the tw tags. But since that's changing, I'll be removing them. You'll still get your angst tho :D  
> So, yeah. Sorry if you're dissapointed."
> 
> Well, good news! I've been writing more and more recently to get back into the swing of writing humans, and as an apology for the lack of updates, here's a new chapter!  
> I wrote this all today, and it shows oof  
> Chapters will get less goofy starting with this one. Also, as I said, the TW related to the planned ending will be removed, since the ending will change. There will still be angst, but it won't include any of the things mentioned in the TWs. No abuse, no homphobia, none of that.
> 
> I hope you enjoy! I'll try my very hardest to get the next chapter out in less than a month!  
> Thank you all so much for the support! You're the reason I keep on writing <3

The morning happened as it had since the beginning of the week. The students gathered together in the kitchen and ate a breakfast they prepared together. Light chatter filled the room, and everyone was at peace.

Except for Shuichi.

The shy detective eyed the room nervously. His eyes landed on the cute Supreme Leader, Kokichi Oma. His boyfriend, who was busy bragging to Kaito about how Shuichi had beat him at Mario Kart the night before. Shuichi sighed to himself.

The date was June 20th. Tomorrow, it would be June 21st. Kokichi’s birthday.

He knew what he was going to do for his birthday, but what worried him was whether Kokichi would enjoy the idea.

Just then, he felt a shove to his chair from under the table, and he realized that Kaede was staring at him. Seemingly relieved to have finally gotten his attention, she motioned her head to the kitchen door, as if to stay, _meet me outside_.

Shuichi nodded and stood up, telling Kokichi he needed to get something from his bag. Stepping outside and rounding the corner, he waited patiently.

A few moments later, he heard Kaede say something, and she stepped out to stand in front of him.

Shuichi blinked at her. “You wanted to talk?” he asked, already knowing what she wanted to discuss.

Kaede nodded, as she pulled something from her pocket. It was a notepad. “Have you gotten the list?”

Shuichi dipped his head and in turn took his own notepad out of his pocket. It was a list of the names of the other male students, minus Kokichi. Kaede’s list had the names of the female students. Shuichi gave his notepad to the pianist, then lowered his gaze.

“Will you be able to get it all today?”

Kaede looked down at his notepad, scanning the words quickly. Next to the name of each student was the gift they wanted to get Kokichi for his birthday. She smiled, satisfied.

She beamed and pat him harshly on the shoulder. “Of course! And don’t worry, we won’t make it suspicious!” she said. “I’ll be taking Kirumi with me to help!”

Shuichi couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow. “Mm hm. To help.”

“Oh my god-”

Shuichi shrugged. “Hey, fine with me. You bringing Kirumi along will clear away any suspicion from Kokichi. Although, now he’ll suspect you’re going on a date. At least that’ll distract him.”

Kaede blushed and sighed. “Yeah, I guess.”

It was silent for a moment. Shuichi frowned.

“Hey Kaede? Are you… ever gonna ask her out?”

Kaede seemed totally taken aback by his question. “W-what?’

“Yeah, ask her out. You clearly really like her.”

Kaede looked thoughtful for a moment. “I never really thought about that.” she closed her eyes. “But I don’t think I’d have a chance with her.”

Shuichi groaned internally. He wanted to scream, _she’s head over heels for you!_ , but he didn’t want to betray Kirumi. They’d just have to work things out on their own, if either of them ever had the courage.

Shuichi flicked his hand. “Well, we should get back to breakfast. Kokichi might be getting suspicious.”

Kaede smiled. “Good idea. I’ll leave with Kirumi after we’re done. In the meantime, could you look after the house?”

“Sure thing.”

 

Kirumi walked beside Kaede, having left the house a few minutes ago. They’d entered the city and were heading for the mall. Both girls were wearing casual clothes, but Kirumi styled her hair how she usually did, and Kaede wore her signature music note hairclips.

It was still early in the morning: the streets were quite empty, with only a few people rushing here and there to get to their early starting jobs.

Kaede yawned, clearly tired from the night before. Kirumi was also tired, but she didn’t show it: she usually didn’t. Kaede turned to Kirumi with a tired smile but her usual bright, beautiful eyes.

“Thanks so much for your help again, Kirumi. You’re a livesaver.”

Kirumi dipped her head. “Of course, it is my duty to take any request asked of me.”

By the time they’d stopped chatting, they’d walked through the automatic doors of the mall. Empty malls were almost a surreal environment: casual, unrecognizable music echoed through the mall. The floor was still bright an shiny from having been cleaned the night before. Thankfully, though, all shops were open.

“Alright!” Kaede beamed. “Let’s get started. We have tons of time, but we should still get a move on incase Kokichi begins to suspect something is up. He’s very perceptive.”

Kirumi nodded in agreement. Kaede handed her the notepad with the girls’ names. Kaede herself held the other notepad.

“So, I think we should split up to make things faster.”

Kirumi couldn’t help but feel slightly disappointed. She’d been looking forward to shopping with the pianist. She didn’t let her disappointment show, though.

“Yes, I believe that would work.”

Kaede smiled. “You know where to get all these things?”

Kirumi dipped her head. “Of course.”

“Alright! When we’re done, we should meet. Send me a message when you’ve gotten everything!”

“Alright.”

And with that, Kaede was off, leaving Kirumi standing there. She looked down at the notepad. The first name written on it was Himiko. Next to her name was written _Top Hat._

_Interesting request._

Still holding the notepad, Kirumi headed off.

 

Kaede looked around the book store. Her first item of interest was joke book that Kiyo wanted to get for Kokichi. Quite a good choice.

Kaede looked from side to side, scanning book after book. She wanted to ask an employee where to find the jokebooks, but her anxiety got the best of her.

Everywhere she looked, she saw the exact same type of books. Dystopian novels about women written by men who clearly had no idea how women actually act. It made her laugh.

She saw comic books, children’s books, manga, even a few audio books CDs, but no jokebooks. Did they even sell jokebooks in a bookstore?

She was scanning a shelf full of books for teens, then a shelf of cookbooks, and still found nothing. She sighed.

“L-look at all these g-garbage books… shameful.”

A voice caught her attention. She hadn’t seen anyone else in the bookstore upon her arrival excluding employees and cashiers, so it made her jump slightly. However, what surprised her the most was the voice itself.

_I recognize that voice… or, maybe I’m imagining things._

The voice was stutter-y and female, seeming to belong to a teenager or young adult, so it could be anyone. Just then, another, more high pitched female voice followed, probably from someone only a bit younger.

“Yeah! I mean, look at this one! ‘Bella spends her days dreaming of a better life, but has no hope of escaping the chains of depression… until a mysterious man comes along.’ I mean, how cliché can you get?”

“H-how much do you wanna b-bet the man just m-magically makes her life b-better all of a sudden? Because that’s clearly how depression works!”

“As if some average guy could ever instantly heal a girl’s depression! Straight propaganda at it’s finest.”

There was laughter. Kaede’s eyes widened. She was sure she knew those voices.

Heading towards the laughter, she rounded the corner of a bookshelf of sad animal stories. Sure enough, she saw exactly who she’d thought she’d heard.

Both people were girls. One was relatively tall and had long, unruly purplish red hair and pale skin. She wore a dress uniform of the same colour and round glasses. She was slightly hunched over and held her hands together.

Meanwhile, the other girl had short brown hair and wore more casual, white clothing. She seemed more outgoing, and the two of them seemed very close. The taller once was holding a book in her hands, and they were reading the summary on the back. Kaede hesitated to call out.

“Toko? Komaru?”

The two girls slightly jumped, and turned towards Kaede’s voice. Komaru’s eyes lit up.

“Kaede!”

Kaede grinned and walked up to them, Komaru tackling her with a hug. Toko, putting the book back on the shelf, kept her distance, but smiled slightly and dipped her head. Kaede knew Toko wasn’t much of a fan of physical contact (except with Komaru, her girlfriend) so she just smiled back.

“I didn’t think you’d be here!” said Kaede, surprised.

Komaru grinned. “Oh, we’re here to see how Toko’s new book is doing! We can’t find it, though. Toko thinks it’s because the shop thinks it’s too terrible to put up. I think it’s because it’s sold out.”

Toko twirled her fingers and blushed. “W-well… you never know.”

Kaede giggled. Komaru looked back at her. “So, why are you here?” she asked.

“Oh, well, Kokichi’s birthday is tomorrow, so I’m here buying everyone’s gifts for him.” she explained. “The entire Harmony Dorm is staying over at my place for the weak.”

Komaru beamed. “Sounds fun! Though, wow, that’s a lot of gifts to buy.”

Toko frowned. “I never liked that little gremlin… he was always pranking m-me.”

Kaede groaned. “Sounds like him. And yeah, I’ve got quite a bit of stuff to buy. Good thing Kirumi’s here to help me!”

Suddenly, silence settled among the three of them. Kaede swallowed.

Komaru eyed her. “So… Kirumi’s here? Just you and Kirumi? At the mall, together?”

Kaede hadn’t realized what she’d said.

_Oh shit._

“I-it’s not like that!” yelled Kaede, but Komaru was already grinning. Toko laughed.

“Mmm hmmm.”

Kaede sighed. Komaru pat her back.

“Aww, hey, no need to be like that! We’re only teasing!”

Kaede smiled. “Yeah, I know.”

Toko walked forward to stand next to Komaru. Their gazes drilled into Kaede.

Kaede put her hands behind her back and swung back on forth on her feet. “W-well, actually… I’ve sorta been thinking about… asking her out…?”

The girl’s eyes widened. Kaede’s stomach dropped.

_Uh oh. I think I just set off a bomb._

Two seconds later, Komaru was squealing. She put her hands on Kaede’s shoulders and began shaking her. Kaede yelped, and Komaru stopped, but she kept beaming.

“KAEDE! That’s SO awesome! I’m so happy for you!”

Kaede looked to the side, blushing like mad. “Hey! I haven’t d-done it yet… I’m not even sure if I ever will…”

Komaru looked at her, disappointed. Surprisingly, it was Toko who spoke next.

“You can do it, K-Kaede!”

Komaru nodded. “Yeah! What’s the worst that could happen?”

Kaede shrugged. “I don’t know, maybe, she’ll think I’m weird? Maybe our friendship will break apart?! Oh god, what if she rejects me and then there’s an awkward tension between us and-”

Komaru and Toko looked at each other. Kaede stopped rambling and looked down. Komaru stood at her side and smiled.

“Kaede, Kirumi’s a very nice person. Do you think she’d judge you?”

Kaede thought for a moment. “Well… no.”

Toko huffed. “There’s your answer. Geez, girl drama these days. Not having the courage to ask someone you like out…”

Komaru turned to look at her girlfriend, unimpressed. “May I remind you that you made Makoto confess to me on your behalf?”

Toko’s eyes widened and she turned red. “H-hey!”

Kaede couldn’t help but laugh. “Thanks, guys.”

Komaru winked. “No problem!”

Just then, Kaede remembered why she had come to the bookstore in the first place. “Hey, do you guys know where to find the jokebooks?”

Komaru blinked. “Why didn’t you ask an employee?”

“I was too nervous.”

“Mood.” They both replied at the same time.

 

 

Kirumi stepped out of the store, and checked off two more names on the notepad. She’d just left Micheal’s, having bought purple paint, a canvas, and some purple, white and black fabric. Those were Angie and Tsumugi’s gifts.

Only two more names remained unchecked: Miu’s name, and her own. Kaede’s name wasn’t on the list, as the pianist had said she’d buy him her gift herself. Kirumi took out her phone and checked the time: It was 11:37, and she’d received no messages from Kaede. She still had time.

Looking at the notepad, she read the words next to Miu’s name: _One of those cylinders that spew confetti when opened._

_Really, Miu?_

Kirumi shrugged and headed for the dollar store.

There were more people in the mall now, and chatter filled the air. Kirumi couldn’t help but notice a few people glance her way. Some were whispering. She could pick up a few of their words.

“Ultimate student… maid… right there…” and so on. It didn’t phase her. The Ultimate Students of Hope’s Peak were well known, and often caught the attention of those passing by. She was no different.

Kirumi was well known as being one of the most talented Ultimate of Hope’s Peak. She was often referred to as, ‘The Ultimate capable of completing any task.’ An untrue title.

Heading towards the dollar store, more and more people were staring. At first, she’d been fine with it, but it started making her slightly uncomfortable. She knew there was no judgement in their gazes, but the feeling of constantly being watched was unsettling.

Finally arriving at the dollar store, she was dismayed to see most of the customers turn to stare in awe and surprise. She couldn’t help but feel slightly angry.

_Don’t they know it’s rude to stare?_

Ignoring them, Kirumi walked into the store and delved in between the aisles full of cheap garbage. Food shaped erasers, plastic toy guns, fake plants, lined the shelves. She searched for the ‘party section’.

At that moment, she noticed someone staring straight at her, and not being discreet about it. It was an adult male. Dismissing him as another awed customer, she kept walking through the store.

Until she saw them again. And again.

_Is he following me?_

Kirumi tried to bring down her slowly rising panic. _You’re imagining things._

He kept staring at her, until he began walking towards her. Kirumi tried making it seem like she hadn’t noticed him.

_He just wants to talk, right? You’re fine._

Kirumi didn’t like talking to strangers. However, she braced herself to talk to this man. She really, really didn’t like how he had followed her, though. She swallowed.

“Hey, Kirumi!”

A young male voice suddenly broke through her thoughts. They couldn’t have belonged to the man.

Just then, someone walked up to stand in front of Kirumi. “I have to show you something! Follow me!”

He was quite short, much shorter than Kirumi. He had short, blond hair and green eyes and a freckled baby face. He wore a black suit and white blouse with a black tie. He motioned for Kirumi to follow him, and she did. Kirumi saw the man hesitate, and walk away.

The two of them stood in between two aisles. Kirumi looked down at the boy, bewildered.

“Fuyuhiko?”

The Ultimate Yakuza stuffed his hands in his pockets and looked away. “Yep. Surprise seeing you here.”

Kirumi nodded. “I could say the same about you. By the way, thank you.”

Fuyuhiko looked confused. “Hm? For what?”

Kirumi blinked. “For getting than man to stop following me. I was getting worried.”

“Oh, that? Eh, it’s whatever.” he shrugged. “I saw you trying to get away, but when you stopped, I had to intervene. That fucking creep…” he scoffed.

Kirumi smiled. “Yes, and that was very smart of you. Now, what brings you here?” she asked him.

Fuyuhiko looked up at her. “Me? Oh, well, it’s Kazuichi’s birthday soon. A few of us in the Super Dorm’re plannin’ a party for him. I had to get some supplies.” he answered. “And you?”

“Almost the same reason. It’s Kokichi’s birthday tomorrow, and Kaede and I were in charge of buying everyone’s gifts for him. The Harmony Dorm is staying over at her house for the week.”

Fuyuhiko nodded. “Cool. Sounds like fun.” he said. “Kaede’s here with you?”

“She’s at the mall, yes, but she’s busy buying gifts in another store.”

“I see.” answered Fuyuhiko. Just then, his pocket buzzed. Reaching in, he took out his phone and checked the screen.

“Ah, shit, I gotta go. I promised to meet up with Kazuichi for lunch.”

Kirumi cocked her head. “For lunch?” she echoed. “Just the two of you?” she paused. “Sounds like a date. Have fun!”

Fuyuhiko bristled. “I-it’s not a date!”

Kirumi raised an eyebrow, amused. “Sure.”

Fuyuhiko turned away. “Well, I could say the same about you and Kaede! Goin’ to the mall together? Seems like a date to me!” he yelled. “Anyways, gotta go! BYE!” he said much too loudly.

And with that, he dashed away, leaving Kirumi standing there, stammering.

Blushing slightly, she quickly found what she was looking for before leaving the store to buy the last gift. She didn’t see the man again.

 

Kaede waited by the fountain. She’d finished buying her list of gifts and was waiting for Kirumi. She’d texted the Ultimate Maid a few minutes ago, and had received no response. It was almost 12:30pm.

Sighing, she looked down into the water of the fountain. What must have been hundreds of coins peppered the bottom of the fountain and glistened. Kaede thought for a moment.

Fishing into her small purse, she felt the edge of a quarter and took it out. Looking to the fountain and back to the coin, she found herself thinking.

 _Am I really about to do this?_ she asked herself. She felt like a small child who believed that removed eyelashes could grant wishes. Sighing, she held the coin out and closed her eyes. In her head, she spoke her wish.

_I wish to ask Kirumi out before the end of this week._

And with that, she flicked the coin into the water and watched it sink to the bottom, a slight ‘klink’ sounding as it collided with the other already sunken coins.

She hoped no one had seen. However, if someone had, Kaede didn’t see them. She tried not to feel embarrassed.

_There’s nothing wrong with wishing on coins in a fountain! Everyone’s done that before!_

However, she felt slightly defeated. Even after wishing, she knew that if she was to ask Kirumi out, she’d have to make the move herself. No wishing magic could to it for her.

Just then, a figure approaching caught her eye, and she saw Kirumi walking towards her, holding white shopping bags. Kaede sat up from the edge of the fountain and ran towards her, praying that the maid hadn’t seen her throw the coin into the water.

“Ah, Kirumi, there you are!” said Kaede, smiling, the maid dipped her head. “Have you gotten everything?”

Kirumi put down the two bags and reached into one of them, taking out the girl’s notepad. Handing it to Kaede, she picked the bags up again while the pianist scanned the list. She beaned and put it into her purse along with the other one, satisfied.

“That’s all of them, including yours and mine!” burst Kaede. Kirumi smiled.

“Yes. Now, should we head back?” questioned the maid.

Kaede took her phone out of her purse and glanced at the time. It was 12:36pm. She put her other hand to her chin.

“You know, it’s pretty much lunchtime right about now. Since we’re here, why don’t we get something to eat?”

“Good idea. We could also discuss the plans for tomorrow, while Shuichi and Kokichi are gone.”

“Perfect!” Kaede unlocked her phone and went to text Shuichi. “I’ll just let Shuichi know.”

 

\--

 **lesbeen** : hey shuichi

 

 **lesbeen** : me n kirumi are going to have lunch at the mall! there’s stuff in the fridge and also leftover junk from yesterday, go wild

 

 **lesbeen** : after lunch we’ll be heading right back, i’ll text you then!!!

\--

 

Shuichi didn’t respond right away, so Kaede and Kirumi began to walk, heading for the snack bar the gang had eaten at before.

The two of them chatted along the way. Kaede would never get tired of seeing Kirumi’s bright, genuine smile.

Just then, Kaede felt her hand vibrate and looked at her phone. Shuichi had texted back.

 

\--

 **bisexwhale** : okokokok

 

 **bisexwhale** : have fun on your lunch date ;)))

\--

 

Kaede froze internally, but she kept walking. Kirumi didn’t notice anything off, and continued to walk next to Kaede, who was on the verge of a panic attack.

_Date?!_

Kaede hadn’t even realized it. Her and Kirumi, alone, having lunch together? That was practically the definition of a date! Had Kirumi noticed?

Kaede willed herself not to turn red. She didn’t want Kirumi to look at her like this, nor the texts Shuichi had sent. She turned her phone off and stuffed it in her pocket, and then placing her own hands in them as well.

Had she really, just unintentionally asked Kirumi out on a date? The maid hadn’t said no, but that was most likely because she hadn’t phrased it correctly.

_“Do you wanna go out on a date” and “Let’s have lunch together” are two completely different things, right? But isn’t this technically a date?! Or is it a casual lunch between friends?! Yeah, that’s what this is. Just casual lunch. I bet that’s what Kirumi thinks of this as well._

She thought back to what Komaru and Toko had said.

_“Kaede, Kirumi’s a very nice person. Do you think she’d judge you?”_

Kaede sighed internally, secretly cursing the fountain wish she’d made.

 

Seated at a table for two, Kirumi sat across from the pianist as the two talked. The restaurant was half full, and other customers were seated around the place. A large group of adults were watching some kind of sports game on a tv, and were talking and cheering loudly when their team scored. Thankfully, Kaede and Kirumi had been seated at the other end of the restaurant, as far away from them as possible.

Kaede took a sip from her pink lemonade. “Oh, yeah, I forgot to say this! When I went to the bookstore when we first got here, I saw Komaru and Toko!”

Kirumi’s eyes widened. “Really?”

Kaede smiled brightly. “Yeah! They were checking to see how Toko’s new book was doing.”

Kirumi sipped her water through a straw. “Ah yes, I remember Toko telling us about it back at school. I haven’t had the chance to read it yet, but after reading the summary, it became painfully obvious that it was how her relationship with Komaru came to be, albeit told with characters of different names.”

Kaede nodded. “Yeah, I thought the same! It’s so adorable of Toko to do that!” she grinned. “After years of writing love stories between men and women, it was a big step!”

Kirumi sat up straight. “Funny how you met those two, because I also saw someone from school.”

The pianist stopped leaning backwards. “Oh? Who?”

Kirumi smiled. “I was at the Dollar Store, and I met Fuyuhiko there.”

Kaede looked equally surprised as she was confused. “Fuyuhiko? At the Dollar Store?”

The maid shrugged. “Yes, I found it odd. But he told me he was buying supplies for Kazuichi’s birthday party.”

Kaede snapped her fingers. “Oh, right! Kazuichi’s birthday is soon too!” she said. “Hey, I can’t be the only one who sees something between those two, right?”

Kirumi shook her head. “No, I believe practically everyone at school thinks so, including me.”

Kaede sipped her drink. “Yeah, I mean, not like it isn’t totally obvious.”

The two girls laughed, and Kirumi couldn’t help but gaze fondly at the pianist. Kaede was completely clueless, however.

Just then, the table of men cheered loudly, causing the two of them to flinch. A few customers glanced at the large group, clearly annoyed. Kirumi saw a waitress sheepishly walk up to them and tell them something unintelligible. A few of them nodded, but others were completely focused on the TV.

Kirumi then saw something that made her stomach drop. She recognized one of the men as the man who followed her at the Dollar Store.

He didn’t notice her, thankfully, so she was fine. Kirumi wasn’t scared, but felt slightly creeped out.

Kaede noticed her unease. She turned to her, concern in her pink eyes.

“Is something wrong?”

Kirumi sighed and leaned forward, Kaede copying her movements.

“There’s a man at that table who I saw at the Dollar Store. He followed me around for a bit. It wasn’t until Fuyuhiko came up to me that he stopped.”

“ _What?!_ ” hissed Kaede quietly. There was growing anger in her gaze.

“There’s no reason to worry.” said Kirumi, leaning back and sitting up straight. “I was merely surprised to see him here.”

Kaede didn’t listen. “He _followed_ you around?” she echoed, bewildered. “And you’ve never seen him before?”

Kirumi shook her head. Kaede’s eyes blazed.

“That creep!” she growled quietly. “If I’d have been there, I’d have-”

Kirumi waved her hands dismissively. “I’m sure he meant no harm. There was no malice in his gaze. He most likely recognized me as the Ultimate Maid and wanted to talk.”

Kaede looked away. “Still, creeping around and stalking someone is not how you approach someone you want to talk to!”

Kirumi couldn’t disagree there. Kaede’s anger dissipated.

“Well, I’m glad you’re okay. It’s a good thing Fuyuhiko was there.”

“Yes, indeed.”

Then, having changed the topic, the two chatted all throughout lunchtime.

 

 

When they got back, it was around 1:15pm. Making sure Kokichi couldn’t see them, Kaede and Kirumi walked quickly towards the piano room and deposited the bag of gifts there so Kokichi wouldn’t see them.

They heard chatter coming from the kitchen and found the rest of the students there. Rantaro was holding his vlog camera and was filming.

When the two of the entered the kitchen, Rantaro swiveled around and pointed the camera at them. The other students turned to stare as well.

“Oh! Just in time!” said Rantaro. “This is Kaede and Kirumi, aka, mom and other mom!”

He seemed to be speaking to the camera. He turned it around and pointed it towards himself.

“Well, that’s everyone!” Kokichi jumped into the shot. Rantaro grinned. “More shenanigans to come, guys!”

Kirumi blinked. “Are you vlogging?”

Kokichi eyed her. “No, he’s digging for gold. Of course he’s vlogging.”

Kirumi narrowed her eyes. Kaede couldn’t help but giggle.

Rantaro stopped the recording and turned back to the girls. “Anyways, you’re back! Got anything planned for this afternoon?”

Kaede nodded. “Yep! Everyone, we’re going on a walk through the woods!”

A ripple of excitement passed through the group. Well, through some of the students. Himiko yawned.

“Nyeh… that sounds exhausting.”

Tenko, energetic as ever, smiled. “Don’t worry, Himiko! It’ll be fun! And, If you’re tired, I can carry you!”

Himiko blushed. “…alright.”

Keebo dipped his head. “I never have the chance to really observe the nature around me, so this will be interesting.”

Gonta smiled. “Gonta will get to see bugs!”

Kokichi laughed. “Kiyo will fit right in. I mean, he looks and acts like a forest cryptid!”

The Anthropologist didn’t argue. “Fair enough.”

Maki smiled slightly. “I do love walks in the forest… maybe this’ll be fun.”

Kaito pat her hard on the back. “’Course it will, Maki Roll!”

Kaede looked at Kirumi, who nodded. Kaede beamed.

“Alright, then! Let’s go!”

 

 

A breeze rustled the tall, green trees as the group walked through the forest. It was absolutely gorgeous outside. The sun peaked through the trees, dappling green on the ground through the translucent leaves. Walking on a cleared path, the students talked amongst each other.

Kokichi was at the lead, Shuichi struggling to keep up next to him. The Supreme Leader was chattering nonstop, and the detective could only listen.

Maki seemed to be at peace, breathing in the fresh air and admiring the nature surrounding them with Keebo.

Gonta was scanning the ground and leaves wildly in hopes of finding a bug, while Kiyo went on and on about the importance and meaning of bugs in certain cultures.

Kaito and Ryoma talked near the back of the group. At the very end was Angie, Miu, Himiko and Tenko. Angie was pointing left and right, at pretty flowers or birds perched in the trees. Miu wasn’t paying attention, however: she was too busy gazing fondly at the artist.

Himiko walked slowly with Tenko at her side, matching her pace as to not leave the magician behind. Himiko seemed more energetic now, listening to Tenko prattle on with a smile on her face.

Kaede and Kirumi, of course, were walking side by side in the middle of the group.

Just then, Kaede walked off course. Clambering into the bushes, Kirumi stopped to wait for her.

_What is she doing?_

A few moments later, Kaede emerged, holding something with her fingers. A white flower.

Kirumi tipped her head. “Where did you find that?”

“Just there, through the bushes!” she chimed. “This is a lily, right? I didn’t know these grew around here!”

Kirumi looked at the pretty flower. _Almost as pretty as the one holding it._

Kaede looked up at Kirumi. “Hey, aren’t lilies your favourite?” she questioned.

The maid nodded, surprised that Kaede had remembered her favourite flower.

The pianist was still for a moment. Then, suddenly, she stood on the tip of her toes and put the lily behind Kirumi’s ear.

The maid’s eyes widened and her face turned red. Her words were jumbled, and she couldn’t speak. Kaede’s eyes softened.

“It… looks nice on you.” she said. Kirumi screamed internally. Kaede was also blushing.

Finally, Kirumi managed to say a weak and stuttery thank you. Kaede smiled warmly, pretty eyes glowing.

_God, this girl is gonna kill me._

They heard Shuichi call out, which broke them out of their trance. They’d fallen behind, the others having gone ahead already. Kaede looked into the maid’s eyes.

“We should… go.”

Kirumi could only nod, still reeling and wondering if what had just happened had been a dream.

 

 

 

Kokichi couldn’t sleep.

He was exhausted, but his body refused to fall asleep.

Around him, the other boys were sound asleep, flanks rising and falling as they breathed in their sleep. A few of them even snored. Gonta’s loud snoring filled the room like a purring cat.

Kokichi’s mattress shifted under his weight as he tossed and turned. He could practically feel himself sinking into it. It was more deflated that it had been before, but that was not what kept him from sleeping.

The entire day, no one had mentioned it.

Not a single person had brought it up.

Had they forgotten?

_Maybe I should’ve said something._

Sighing, Kokichi quietly sat up a sat on the edge of the mattress. The room was completely dark, but outside a few street lights were lit, casting a fleck of light in the room through the window.

He had no idea how long he’d been tossing and turning, but it must have been hours. The sun rises early in the summer, and since it was still dark outside, Kokichi concluded it must be close to midnight.

“Kokichi?”

A whisper caught his attention, making him jump slightly. Across the room, he could make out Shuichi, sat up on his mattress, looking at him with concern.

“Shuichi, did I wake you?” said Kokichi quietly. Shuichi nodded. Kokichi looked down in guilt.

“Sorry.”

“Don’t worry… about it.” he yawned. “Are you okay?”

“Can’t sleep.”

“That’s what I thought.” the detective was silent for a few moments. For a second, Kokichi thought he might’ve fallen asleep again. Then, he gestured to Kokichi.

“Come here.”

Puzzled, Kokichi stood up from the mattress, and attempted not to make the floor creak. He nearly stepped on Kaito’s mattress, but he made it to Shuichi without waking anyone.

Shuichi patted the space next to him. “Sit.”

Still confused, but too tired to ask why, Kokichi did as he said. Shuichi smiled tiredly.

“You can sleep next to me tonight.”

Kokichi’s eyes widened. “W-what?” he stammered.

Shuichi looked away. “If you want to…”

Kokichi gazed into his boyfriend’s golden eyes. “We’ve never… done that before.”

“I just thought, maybe it would help you sleep…”

Kokichi thought for a moment. Then, he nodded. “Okay.”

Kokichi settled onto the mattress, which was a bit too big for the both of them. So, he got closer to Shuichi. The detective wrapped his arms around him, head resting just above the Supreme Leader’s. Kokichi buried his head into Shuichi’s chest. Shuichi was warm. Kokichi had never felt so warm.

“Shuichi?”

“Hm?”

“…thank you.”

“You’re welcome. Goodnight, love.”

“Goodnight, Shu…”

It only took a few minutes for Kokichi to fall asleep.

 

Kokichi breathed quietly, nestled into Shuichi and sleeping soundly.

This was nice. Shuichi felt sleep trying to overcome him, but he fought against it. He had to stay awake, just a little longer…

Just then, a small light flickered in the room. Shuichi’s phone, which had been placed next to his mattress, lit up. On the screen, a silent reminder was displayed. It was displayed over his Lockscreen, a picture of him and Kokichi on their first date.

Shuichi smiled. It was midnight.

Looking down at his boyfriend sleeping peacefully, Shuichi whispered quietly, and fondly.

 

“Happy birthday.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> alright before you say anything
> 
> the man following kirumi is NOT what you think it is.  
> think of it as a fan following a celebrity, not in a creepy way, but out of awe. however, it comes off as creepy for the celebrity.   
> The man followed her because she was the ultimate maid, he held respect for her and wanted to talk to her. he just went about it the wrong way
> 
> Thanks for reading! Comments and Kudos are greatly appreciated!

**Author's Note:**

> i dont know if the angie x miu will stay, but if it does, dont expect it to be really developed
> 
> please leave a like and comment if you enjoyed!
> 
> next chapter will come god knows when fjkfdrtyujdrty


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